NWE III in the Picturesque Mountains of Ponte di Legno, Italy
On January 13th, 2026, immediately following the 1st Winter School on Joint Communication & Sensing, the consortium gathered once again in the snowy town of Ponte di Legno for the third Network‑Wide Event (NWE III). Held in a welcoming municipal hall, “Sala Polifunzionale”, generously provided by the local authorities, the meeting offered a cozy refuge from the crisp mountain air outside. With snow lining the streets and the Alps framing the town, the event brought together Doctoral Candidates (DCs), supervisors, and the project management team for a full day of reconnecting, sharing progress, and strengthening the collaborative spirit of the project.
The event opened with a plenary session led by Stephane Stroobant, who guided everyone through the latest updates on the project’s status. His overview touched on the timeline, upcoming deliverables, and helpful recommendations for the DCs as they continue shaping their research paths.
The heart of the day was the series of DC progress presentations. Each DC had around fifteen minutes to walk the group through their latest updates, followed by open discussions that often stretched well beyond the planned ten‑minute Q&A slots. The conversations were lively, sometimes intense, and always constructive. These exchanges brought together perspectives from supervisors and fellow DCs, creating a dynamic environment where ideas were challenged, refined, and expanded. This is the essence of the 6thSense network: a community that learns from one another, pushes each other, and grows together. Coffee breaks and a shared lunch added warmth to the day, giving everyone space to continue conversations in a more relaxed setting.
After the presentations, the Supervisory Board held its scheduled meeting, while the rest of the group continued discussions and wrapped up the day’s activities. As evening settled over Ponte di Legno, the consortium gathered again, this time for a relaxed project dinner at a local restaurant. Surrounded by Italian dishes, desserts, and the easygoing atmosphere of a winter evening in the Alps, the group enjoyed a well‑deserved moment of connection. A group selfie, taken by one of the newest members of the project, captured the spirit of the night: warm, friendly, and full of shared purpose.
NWE III was part of a particularly vibrant week for the 6thSense community. Just before the event, DCs had completed the Winter School, and immediately afterward, several participated in the accompanying symposium. The consortium was especially proud to celebrate Qing Zhang (DC8), who received the Best Student Paper Award for her work on investigating the impact of phase incoherence on localization accuracy in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)‑based massive MIMO systems, a remarkable achievement that reflects the growing scientific strength of the network.
Overall, the third Network‑Wide Event was a meaningful moment to pause, reconnect, and look ahead together. In the serene winter setting of Ponte di Legno, the 6thSense team strengthened its bonds, exchanged valuable insights, and renewed its motivation for the next steps in advancing Joint Communication and Sensing research for 6G.
An article by Hussein Ali Abdulhadi Al-Hakeem.