SNS JU R&I Work Programme 2025 Released

PRESS RELEASE

Brussels, 21 December 2024

SNS JU publishes its Annual Work Programme and announces €128 million funding for 6G research and innovation in 2025.

The Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) announced today the publication of its Annual Work Programme (AWP) 2025, which includes the Research and Innovation Work Programme for 2025 (SNS R&I WP 2025), allocating €128 million in EU funding to advance Europe’s leadership in Beyond 5G and 6G technologies and the future of connectivity.

The next R&I funding marks a significant step in implementing the SNS JU’s strategic vision for European technological sovereignty in smart networks and services.

“This Work Programme represents a crucial step in Europe’s journey towards 6G leadership,” said Erzsébet Fitori, Executive Director of the SNS JU. “By bringing together industry, academia, and research institutions, we’re not just developing technology – we’re building Europe’s digital future with a focus on sustainability, security, and societal impact.”

The programme will support research and innovation activities through three complementary streams:

Stream B: Advanced research for revolutionary and evolutionary technology advancements, including Topics on 6G Disruptive Technologies.
Stream C: Development of a 6G Telco Cloud and service platform experimental infrastructures
Stream D: Large-scale trials and pilots with vertical sectors with a focus on Industry/Manufacturing, Media, Automotive, Transportation/Logistics, Emergency and Safety Services, and Health.

The main highlights of the 2025 R&I Work Programme include:

A reinforced focus on key technological topics targeting medium to higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), while also exploring 6G disruptive technologies and long-term R&I starting at low TR.
Enhanced emphasis on the Telco Edge-Cloud and service provision domain,
Alignment with European Commission’s white paper “How to master Europe’s digital infrastructure needs?” and especially on specially on the vision towards Connected Collaborative Computing (3Cs) Networks to support telco-edge-cloud convergence.
Dedicated Topics on terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks unification as well as on the integration of photonics systems and optical networks into the 6G architecture.
Continued emphasis on wireless communication technologies, artificial intelligence as well as on trust, security, reliability and privacy-enhancing technologies with dedicated Topics on those areas.
A set of activities with focus on microelectronics, particularly on “Front End Module” (FEM) development
Extended opportunities for trials and pilots with vertical sectors and industry business opportunities
International cooperation remains a central focus, considering policy developments between EU and US on 6G under the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC)
Strengthened collaboration and synergies alongside other EU programs and partnerships’ initiatives to maximize Europe’s digital innovation potential.

This announcement follows the successful implementation of previous calls, which have already committed over €500 million to boost beyond 5G and 6G research and innovation across Europe.

The SNS R&I WP 2025 will form the basis of the SNS JU’s fourth call for proposals, with the opening date to be announced in due course. An Information Day on the SNS fourth Call will take place Q1 2025. If you already want to share your first ideas and find partners, you can join the SNS brokerage platform: https://sns-brokerage.eu/].

Achieving broader impact

Sustainability of Future Networks and Services – Europe’s contribution to Key Value Indicators. Europe is leading the development of Key Value Indicators (KVIs) to measure the sustainability of 6G technology and presenting how 6G can contribute to a more sustainable Europe. By qualifying and quantifying KVIs, Europe can design and develop networks and services that align with sustainability goals, provide value to industry and benefits to the society and the environment.
Advancing 6G Standardisation. Creating a significant impact on standardisation activities remains one of the key objectives of the SNS R&I Work Programme. 3GPP is accelerating the development of 6G standards, with a study work phase starting in 2025. This marks a significant step towards shaping the future of wireless communication technology by developing strong capabilities towards valorisation of SNS results in relevant 6G standardisation bodies.

About SNS JU: The European Smart Networks and Services JU (SNS JU) is a Joint Undertaking established in 2021 by the European Union Council Regulation No 2021/2085. This EU Partnership is jointly led by the EU Commission and the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA). The mix of public and industry interest makes the Smart Network and Services Joint Undertaking the right platform for collaboration and the right instrument to foster world-class research and innovation on next generation networks and services. The SNS JU two-pillar approach, in support of 5G deployment and for advanced research of 6G systems, create a continuity for EU players but also provide tangible financial support to best research, SMEs and industry to strengthen the EU supply chain side. The SNS JU fosters alignment and synergies with Member States on 6G Research and Innovation Programmes and favour international cooperation towards setting a 6G global standard.

The SNS JU aims to contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) towards sustainable, resilient, and climate-neutral network infrastructures and services.

You can download the SNS-work-programme-2025 here.

You can download the 2025 research and innovation work program (containing the details of the 2025 calls for projects) as a pdf here: sns-ju-ri-wp-2025_final for publication

For more information about the SNS JU, please visit: https://smart-networks.europa.eu/current-call-for-proposals/