The SNS JU invests €116 million to further cement European 6G Research and Innovation
Barcelona, 2 March 2026 – At this year Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the European Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) announces €116 million in funding to 20 selected projects, further cementing European 6G research and innovation. This latest investment forms part of the €630 million EU public funding from Horizon Europe, already allocated since 2021 and expands the SNS JU portfolio to 100 projects. In 2026 and 2027, the SNS JU will invest an additional €270 million of EU public funding, unlocking unprecedented opportunities for Europe’s digital ecosystem.
This strategic investment marks a major step in Europe’s ambition to reinforce its technological sovereignty, shape global 6G standards and ensure that next-generation connectivity delivers tangible benefits for citizens, businesses and public services.
6G: A strategic opportunity for Europe
While 5G continues to roll out across Europe, the next wave of connectivity is already taking shape. 6G is not simply about faster networks. It represents a fundamental shift in how digital infrastructure will support society, industry and sustainability in the next decade.
6G technologies are expected to enable ultra-secure communication infrastructures that are critical for public safety, defence applications and the protection of sensitive data. They will support real-time remote healthcare, advanced diagnostics and connected care ecosystems, allowing medical expertise to be delivered across borders and into rural or underserved areas. In the field of mobility, 6G will drive intelligent transport systems, connected and autonomous logistics, and safer road infrastructure.
Beyond these, 6G will unlock new opportunities in maritime and port security, enabling ultra-reliable connectivity for port operations and automated vessel coordination and communications at sea. In industry, it will power smart manufacturing, robotics and highly automated production processes. The media and entertainment sector will benefit from 6G’s ability to deliver truly immersive experiences — from real-time holographic communications to ultra-high-resolution multi-angle broadcasts and interactive mixed-reality events. Moreover, 6G will significantly enhance environmental monitoring capabilities and optimise energy and resource management systems, helping Europe meet its climate objectives.
“6G will be a key enabler of Europe’s technological sovereignty, strengthening strategic autonomy in critical digital infrastructures. By embedding cybersecurity, privacy-by-design principles and resilience at its core, 6G aims to become a trusted, human-centric technology that promotes digital inclusion and ensures that connectivity benefits all citizens and regions,” explains Renate Nikolay, Deputy Director General DG CONNECT.
€116 million to accelerate advanced trials and breakthrough research
The newly funded projects will support vertical use-cases, proof of concepts, and large-scale advanced 5G and early 6G validation trials, alongside foundational 6G research projects in sectors such as healthcare (6G-CARE), mobility and logistic (SIXG, GENIUS), space (6G-NTN2 Nexus, IoT-ZERO), media and entertainment (6G-Holonet), manufacturing and industrial robotics (OPTIMUS-6G, MAGIC-6G, PRIME-6G). These trials will demonstrate how next-generation connectivity can operate in real-world conditions and deliver measurable impact.
In parallel, the projects will advance cutting edge research on 6G advanced architecture system and IoT devices and technologies (PROSPERO, 6G-OPTICON, PIONEERS-6G), core technologies and network intelligence, core radio & waveform tech – SHARC, MULTIPLY-6G, AI-native networks – Agentic6G, 6G-CATS; integrating quantum and AI (QUEST6G) and addressing security, from services and operations angles (PAISES-6G and SHIELD-6G).
The SOVEREIGN-6G project is set to launch Europe’s first hybrid, multi-technology 6G Telco Cloud—a fully automated, unified infrastructure that seamlessly integrates IT and networking platforms into a single, intelligent continuum. This pioneering initiative will also introduce a cutting-edge Unified Service Platform, AI-powered edge advancements, and a pan-European experimentation testbed, accelerating the transformation of Communication Service Providers into next-generation Digital Service Providers. The project aligns with Horizon Europe’s Work Programme 2025 cluster 4 on ‘Digital’, reinforcing advancements in cloud–edge infrastructures to drive sustainable digital sovereignty[1].
The programme will stimulate innovation across Europe’s supply chain by providing tangible financial support to leading research institutions, innovative SMEs and major industry players. It will also reinforce cross-border collaboration and ensure alignment with national research and innovation programmes, thereby maximising synergies and avoiding fragmentation.
Together, the 20 projects form a critical building block in Europe’s 6G research and innovation roadmap and pre-deployment agenda. The SNS JU’s two-pillar approach — combining support for advanced 5G deployment (e.g. 6G-CARE, business, industry pilots) with long-term 6G research (e.g. MULTIPLY-6G, PROSPERO, Agentic6G) — ensures continuity for European stakeholders while strengthening Europe’s industrial ecosystem.
“By enabling seamless integration between physical and digital systems, 6G will contribute to building a more resilient, secure and sustainable Europe — one where connectivity becomes an invisible but essential layer of everyday life,” says Colin Willcock, Chairman of the SNS JU Governing Board. “With SNS JU, we are proud to invest in pushing the boundaries of innovation, shaping the future of connectivity, and setting global 6G standards that will not only strengthen European industrial leadership but also advance Europe’s technological sovereignty.”
A unique public-private platform driving European collaboration
The SNS JU is a Public-Private Partnership jointly led by the European Commission and the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA). By bringing together industry leaders, innovative SMEs, research centres and policymakers, it serves as Europe’s central platform for next-generation networks collaboration.
“Through its coordinated approach, the SNS JU aligns European Union and Member State 6G Research and Innovation programmes to ensure strategic coherence and efficient use of public investment. It actively encourages international cooperation to contribute to the development of globally harmonised 6G standards,” says Thibaut Kleiner, Director Future Networks at DG CONNECT and Vice-Chair of the SNS JU Governing Board. “At the same time, it strengthens Europe’s position in global standardisation efforts and reinforces the European supply chain in strategic digital technologies by supporting key actors across the ecosystem. This integrated model ensures that Europe not only participates in global 6G development, but actively shapes it.”
2026: A pivotal year for global 6G standardisation
The coming year will be crucial for the future of 6G. International standardisation bodies such as 3GPP, ETSI and the IEEE are advancing frameworks that will guarantee interoperability between networks, ensure high levels of security and promote efficient spectrum use.
Europe enters this phase with strong industrial players, including Nokia and Ericsson, as well as a dynamic research community supported by the SNS JU. By investing early and strategically in research, trials and ecosystem coordination, Europe is positioning itself to influence global standards and secure long-term competitiveness in next-generation connectivity. So far, SNS JU projects have made over 1000 contributions to international standardisation efforts and have generated significant innovation-based growth, registering 98 patents, 94 of which are confidential patents. These figures demonstrate Europe’s leading role in shaping the future 6G ecosystem and translating research into tangible technological and economic impact.
Furthermore, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play a crucial role in shaping 6G, driving innovation, and addressing key challenges such as security, trust, and sustainability in next-generation networks. Nearly 80 % of SNS JU projects integrate AI and Machine Learning (ML) as core technological components to optimise network performance, automate operations, improve efficiency, and enhance security[2].
Driving sustainability and Europe’s green transition
The SNS JU contributes directly to Europe’s climate ambitions and to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by promoting sustainable, resilient and climate-neutral network infrastructures and services.
Future 6G systems are being designed to significantly improve energy efficiency compared to previous generations of mobile networks. They aim to reduce the carbon footprint of digital infrastructure by optimising hardware, software and network operations. In addition, 6G will enable smarter energy grids, more efficient energy distribution systems and intelligent resource management across cities and industries. By supporting green industrial transformation and sustainable digitalisation, 6G becomes not only a technological leap, but a driver of long-term environmental progress.
Connectivity is therefore emerging as a cornerstone of Europe’s digital and green transitions — and 6G will play a decisive role in aligning both ambitions.
Strengthening competitiveness and creating high-skilled jobs
Beyond technological advancement, the €630 million investment will reinforce Europe’s technological sovereignty by reducing strategic dependencies in critical digital infrastructure. It will strengthen and diversify the European supply chain by supporting domestic innovation and industrial capacity. The programme provides growth opportunities for SMEs and start-ups, allowing them to scale their solutions within a coordinated European framework.
Space connectivity will become a native component of future 6G networks, with seamless integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks (TN/NTN) to provide ubiquitous, resilient, and high-quality connectivity. To support this, the SNS JU has established a long-term strategic collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), aimed at coordinating the outcomes of non-terrestrial technologies developed by SNS projects and responding to the growing demand for access to space infrastructure. This partnership enables large-scale trials, access to advanced testing facilities, and joint innovation in next-generation applications, ensuring that integrated TN/NTN solutions inform global standards and deliver real-world benefits across industries and for European citizens.[3]
Furthermore, the development and deployment of 6G technologies are expected to generate high-skilled employment opportunities across multiple sectors, including research, engineering, advanced manufacturing, digital services and vertical industries such as healthcare and mobility. By accelerating 6G innovation today, Europe is laying the foundation for sustainable economic growth and strategic autonomy in the decades ahead.
“Today’s investment in 6G is not just about technology — it is about securing Europe’s future, empowering our industries, and creating opportunities for the next generation of innovators. Doing so, we are paving the way for a resilient, connected, and globally competitive Europe,” concludes Erszébet Fitori, Executive Director of SNS JU. “And we are only at the beginning. Europe will continue to lead with ambition, scale and determination. In 2026 and 2027, we will launch a new flagship call, allocating more than €270 million in EU public funding to accelerate breakthrough research, strengthen our industrial leadership and ensure that Europe remains at the forefront of global 6G innovation. We are committed to sustaining this momentum and turning Europe’s technological excellence into long-term competitiveness and strategic autonomy.”
[1] EU Funding & Tenders Portal
[2] How SNS JU Projects Are Harnessing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning | LinkedIn
[3] SNS JU and ESA Join Forces to Accelerate the Integration of satellite networks in 6G – SNS JU
Annex – Short abstracts Overview of the 20 Selected Projects
6G-OPTICON
6G-OPTICON will design an end-to-end orchestration framework for 6G networks, embedding constraint-aware deep learning directly into network operations. The project focuses on intelligent optimisation across heterogeneous domains, ensuring real-time performance, energy efficiency, and security by design. It aims to deliver a sustainable and trustworthy blueprint for AI-native 6G network management.
Agentic6G
Agentic6G develops an autonomous multi-agent AI system for 6G networks capable of self-organising, self-healing, and secure service orchestration across the device–edge–cloud continuum. By integrating large language models and collective AI intelligence, the project enables dynamic service composition and lifecycle management. It will validate its approach in complex real-world use cases, including swarm robotics.
SIXG
SIXG introduces a real-time serverless computing framework tailored for 6G infrastructures. By combining programmable network fabrics with AI-driven orchestration, it enables ultra-low-latency, scalable applications such as industrial automation and autonomous mobility. The project establishes a cross-layer foundation for energy-efficient Function-as-a-Service in next-generation networks. Its vision is dual: enabling real-time serverless applications leveraging 6G features such as network slicing, NFV, cloud-network integration, and programmable data planes; and embedding serverless functions across user, control, and management planes to deliver agility, scalability, and responsiveness for mission-critical workloads.
MAGIC-6G
MAGIC-6G pioneers Goal-oriented Networking, aligning network intelligence directly with application objectives through semantic AI models. It integrates communication, computation, and control optimisation to support immersive XR, digital twins, and industrial robotics. The project promotes secure, sustainable, and interpretable AI-native 6G systems.
PROSPERO
PROSPERO proposes a unified and simplified 6G architecture designed to reduce costs, improve sustainability, and enhance network resilience. By embedding AI natively into network management and operations, it enables new business models and energy-efficient deployment strategies. The project supports European sovereignty through reduced reliance on proprietary technologies.
OPTIMUS-6G
OPTIMUS-6G develops an advanced architectural framework for IoT operations in unlicensed 6G bands. By combining multi-band communication, AI-driven orchestration, and digital twin validation, it enhances performance across manufacturing, healthcare, and campus environments. The project supports long-term, unattended IoT deployments across the computing continuum.
IoT-ZERO
IoT-ZERO enables near-zero-energy IoT devices through ultra-low-power communication, energy harvesting, and secure TN–NTN connectivity. It integrates event-driven sensing and neuromorphic computing to support battery-less, long-life deployments. The project demonstrates sustainable asset-tracking solutions across terrestrial and satellite networks.
PIONEERS-6G
PIONEERS-6G develops an energy-efficient, resilient, and secure IoT platform for 6G. It unifies terrestrial and non-terrestrial connectivity while embedding AI-native orchestration and zero-trust security principles. The project validates its innovations in industrial, underground, underwater, and global IoT scenarios.
SHARC
SHARC designs a multi-tenant, hardware-accelerated 6G Radio Access Network capable of dynamically orchestrating workloads across heterogeneous compute platforms. By integrating AI-driven orchestration and confidential computing, it significantly improves energy efficiency and workload portability. The project contributes to European leadership in secure and sustainable 6G RAN technologies.
MULTIPLY-6G
MULTIPLY-6G develops advanced multidimensional waveform and signal processing technologies to enhance spectral efficiency and reduce energy consumption in 6G networks. It focuses on extreme large MIMO arrays, spectrum sharing, and Open RAN compatibility. The project aims to deliver breakthrough performance in high-mobility and complex propagation environments.
QUEST-6G
QUEST-6G integrates reconfigurable intelligent systems, extremely large antenna arrays, and quantum AI technologies into 6G network design. By leveraging FR3 spectrum and hybrid near/far-field beamforming, it enhances energy efficiency, coverage, and performance. The project explores quantum optimisation and machine learning to accelerate complex 6G resource management tasks.
6G-NTN2 Nexus
6G-NTN2 Nexus advances the integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks to deliver seamless, resilient connectivity. It develops unified architectures, orchestration mechanisms, and multi-tenancy frameworks to support vertical markets such as public safety and transportation. The project demonstrates harmonised TN–NTN operations across multiple frequency bands.
6G-CATS
6G-CATS delivers an AI-powered, secure, and energy-efficient optical infrastructure for end-to-end 6G connectivity. It combines high-speed optical access, integrated sensing, and quantum-resilient security mechanisms. The project validates sustainable, intelligent optical networking for mobility, automation, and resilient communications.
PAISES-6G
PAISES-6G establishes an AI-enhanced security framework for future 6G infrastructures. It integrates digital twins, quantum-ready encryption, and zero-touch AI deployment to strengthen data privacy and resilience. The project enables scalable and secure orchestration of advanced 6G network functions.
SHIELD-6G
SHIELD-6G develops a comprehensive AI-driven Cyber Threat Intelligence platform for 6G networks. By combining federated learning, explainable AI, and digital twins, it enhances real-time threat detection, compliance, and resilience. The project validates secure end-to-end service operation across complex multi-domain environments.
SOVEREIGN-6G
SOVEREIGN-6G establishes Europe’s first unified 6G Telco Cloud platform, integrating IT and networking resources into a seamless service continuum. Through a Unified Service Platform and AI-native orchestration, it enables beyond-connectivity digital services across multi-vendor environments. The project supports Europe’s digital sovereignty and transformation of telecom operators into digital service providers.
6G-CARE
6G-CARE deploys large-scale 6G healthcare trials across six European countries to validate AI-enabled, ultra-reliable digital health services. It integrates private 5G/6G networks, wearables, holographic communication, and digital twin-based orchestration. The project demonstrates scalable, sustainable, and secure e-health solutions, strengthening Europe’s leadership in 6G-enabled healthcare innovation.
6G-Holonet
6G-Holonet pioneers immersive and interactive media across live events, volumetric content production, and cultural heritage. It deploys an AI-native communication–computation–control fabric enabling glass-to-glass workflows, ultra-low latency, and energy-aware operation. The project fosters scalable, modular, and standards-aligned 6G solutions, supporting SMEs and cultural institutions while strengthening Europe’s leadership in next-generation immersive communications.
PRIME-6G
PRIME-6G enables resilient industrial manufacturing environments through AI-driven 6G network and compute optimization. Pilots in real-world factories leverage deterministic connectivity, multi-modal sensing, and digital twins to enhance operational efficiency, safety, and flexibility. The project validates a close-to-market 6G platform blueprint, creating a sustainable ecosystem for industrial adoption and European leadership in smart manufacturing.
GENIUS
GENIUS integrates 6G-enabled logistics and multimodal transportation to improve efficiency, sustainability, and resilience in supply chains. Ultra-reliable low-latency communications, AI-driven optimization, and digital twins enable seamless coordination across hubs, ports, and airports. The project advances automation, reduces operational costs and emissions, and strengthens Europe’s strategic autonomy and competitiveness in global logistics.
