SUSTAIN-6G 4th Plenary Meeting Strengthens Integration and Delivery

From 17th -19th Feb, the 4th Plenary Meeting of SUSTAIN-6G, was hosted at KU Leuven’s Ghent Campus. It brought technology experts, researchers, and academic partners to advance collaboration and strategic alignment across the consortium. Over three intensive days, discussions demonstrated the project’s progression from conceptual groundwork toward coordinated implementation.

Day 1 – Strengthening Alignment and Methodological Progress

The plenary opened with strong momentum, focusing on aligning research activities and reinforcing collaboration across work packages.

Key highlights included:

Internal reporting on developments across 78 Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking projects projects, with particular focus on sustainability directions.
Valuable feedback from the project’s External Advisory Group, providing guidance on methodological approaches and pathways to strengthen impact.
Enhanced cooperation across methodology, applications, and evaluation, ensuring stronger links between analytical frameworks and implementation activities.
A joint session across WP2, WP4, and WP6, reinforcing cross–work package integration.
Progress updates on deliverables, dedicated use case sessions, presenting early results, insights, and reflections from partners.

Day 2 – From Strategy to Action

The second day focused on translating vision into execution. The day kick-off with the WP7 Joint Exploitation Workshop, organized in a World Café format that brought together representatives from across the consortium. The interactive session helped align partners on exploitation pathways and strengthen the route from research outcomes to real-world impact. A concluding plenary discussion ensured shared ownership of the results.

Parallel technical discussions advanced several key areas:

Continued development of the Sustainability Management Plane (SMP)—a critical building block for embedding sustainability intelligence directly into 6G system architecture.
Coordination of technical contributions to Proofs of Concept (PoCs) led by WP5 in collaboration with other work packages.
Strategic dissemination planning for upcoming events including EuCNC & 6G Summit, focusing on coordinated presence, demonstrations, and storytelling around project outcomes.

These discussions reinforced how sustainability, exploitation, and visibility are converging into a structured pathway toward measurable impact.

Day 3 – From Collaboration to Integrated Delivery

The final day marked an important transition for the project—Partners aligned on clear responsibilities, timelines, and interdependencies, ensuring coordinated progress across work packages. This alignment strengthens the connection between technical innovation and sustainability integration, which lies at the heart of the project’s mission.

The plenary concluded with a strong sense of shared direction across the consortium. With the discussions completed, the project now moves forward with a clear focus on execution, validation, and delivering impactful results in the coming phase.