At the beginning of the year, on 30 January 2026, the CELTIC-NEXT community gathered in Vienna for the Proposers Brokerage Day Spring Call 2026, kindly hosted by Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) in Vienna, and supported by the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA).
The event brought together researchers, industry representatives and public authorities with a shared interest in shaping the next generation of communication technologies, and was a valuable opportunity to develop new concepts for future businesses that support a trusted digital transformation in a smart, connected world.
This day was the occasion for many presentations and interactions.
It opened with welcome remarks from Alexander Pogany (BMIMI, Austria), Sonia Nour (EUREKA Secretariat), Colin Willcock (6G-IA) and Xavier Priem (CELTIC-NEXT), who collectively set the scene for the discussions ahead, emphasising collaboration and the importance of cross-border innovation.
The keynote address by Madhusanka Liyanage (University College Dublin) focused on “Future Connectivity Security: Harnessing AI and Quantum for 6G”. It provided a clear overview of the challenges and opportunities linked to securing next-generation networks, particularly in the context of increasingly complex and hybrid technological environments.
A series of national presentations followed, offering a comprehensive view of funding frameworks and priorities across participating countries. Contributions from Michael Walch (Austria, FFG), Juana Sánchez (Spain, CDTI), Justina Ruksnaite (Lithuania), Inyoung Yoo (South Korea, KIAT) and Sanna Edlund (Sweden, Vinnova) were complemented by further insights from Andrzej Wajs (Poland, NCBR), Heikki Uusi Honko (Finland, Business Finland) and Bahriye Özkara (Türkiye, TÜBİTAK). Together, these sessions highlighted both the diversity and alignment of national approaches supporting CELTIC projects.
The business impact session, moderated by Prof. David CastellsRufas (UAB, CELTIC GOE), brought forward concrete examples of ongoing innovation. Christoph Lipps (DFKI) presented key CELTIC flagships—SUSTAINET, AI-NET and SENDATE—while Klaus Chmelina (Geodata) introduced CISSAN, and Christian Raffelsberger (Lakeside Labs) showcased 6GSKY. These presentations illustrated how collaborative research is already contributing to areas such as sustainability, secure connectivity and advanced digital services.
Christoph Lipps (Senior Researcher at DFKI) presenting the success stories of the Flagship Projects SENDATE, AI-NET, and SUSTAINET
The afternoon was dedicated to pitching sessions, where new project ideas were presented by proposers, with coordination moderation from Christiane Reinsch (CELTIC-NEXT Programme Coordinator). These sessions provided a platform for emerging concepts across a broad range of domains, from quantum-enabled security and 6G infrastructures to media applications and digital resilience. The format encouraged concise presentations and direct engagement, paving the way for future consortium building.
The day concluded with a networking session, allowing participants to exchange with proposers and national authorities in a more informal setting. These discussions, often as valuable as the formal sessions themselves, helped initiate connections and refine project ideas.
In conclusion, the Proposers Brokerage Day in Vienna confirmed the continued relevance of CELTIC-NEXT as a platform for collaborative innovation. By bringing together key stakeholders and facilitating both strategic dialogue and practical exchanges, the event contributed to the development of new project ideas supporting a trusted and forward-looking digital transformation.
Further information
About CELTIC-NEXT
CELTIC-NEXT is the Eureka Cluster for next-generation communications enabling the inclusive digital society. CELTIC-NEXT stimulates and orchestrates international collaborative projects in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) domain. The CELTIC-NEXT programme includes a wide scope of ICT topics based on new high-performance communications networks supporting data-rich applications and advanced services, both in the ICT sector and across all vertical sectors.
CELTIC-NEXT is an industry-driven initiative, involving all the major ICT industry players as well as many SMEs, service providers, and research institutions. The CELTIC-NEXT activities are open to all organisations that share the CELTIC-NEXT vision of an inclusive digital society and are willing to collaborate to their own benefit, aligned with their national priorities, to advance the development and uptake of advanced ICT solutions.
CELTIC-NEXT website – https://www.celticnext.eu/
