International Collaboration – EU-ROK -

This SNS International Cooperation activity targets the Republic of Korea (ROK). It builds on the interactions developed between 6G-IA and the key associations and stakeholders as well as Korea’s industry, research community, and academia. The targeted action in this Strand will focus on EU-ROK R&I developments. The cooperation with ROK will tentatively focus on RAN, considering ROK’s terminals and devices industry capabilities. The action will focus on the integrated device-network approach demonstrating a number of 6G functional properties.

The following targeted outcomes are considered:

• EU-ROK research collaboration in targeting Radio Access Networks (RAN) and integrated device-network approaches, evolving through 6G standardization discussions and paving the way for future advancements towards AI-native radio access networks.

• Application of AI/ML algorithms to wireless networks for the automation of base station management, and to user terminal traffic, for optimizing various base station control parameters for network energy saving or network failure recovery.

• Definition of an architecture framework addressing interoperability needs, that future 6G products have to achieve. Contribution to interoperability specifications through related standardization activities for existing and new interfaces.

• Alignment of views on radio interface concepts to support demanding 6G applications and services for future exploitation in international standardization.

Please refer to the "Specific Challenges and Objectives" section for Stream B in the Work Programme, available under ‘Topic Conditions and Documents - Additional Documents’.

• Algorithms for 6G RAN that improve transmission performance and reduce complexity in wireless transmission through machine learning-based channel estimation, channel state information transmission, channel decoding, distributed MIMO and beam management.

• Procedures and protocols empowered by AI that improve efficiencies of the wireless communications through mobility management, wireless resource management, automated maintenance, and self-optimization of network parameters.

• Architectural framework addressing the interoperability needs for integrated device-network approaches that will use the specified AI/ML mechanisms demonstrating 6G functional properties. Specific focus will be placed on standardization opportunities to support such interoperability schemes.

• The project will focus on what the radio access network side will be able to deliver to terminals using AI solutions for demanding 6G application and services. The project should provide hooks that will allow viable streamlining of interfaces and mechanisms that are expected to be developed by mirror R&I activities in ROK where the focus could be on the devices’ side.

• Target would be to streamline views on a) the use of AI and b) potential extensions on the radio interface.

The scope includes availability of data sets, in compliance with the rules of data legislation, both existing and new ones created by the project, that may be used by researchers to validate AI approaches and inference rules applied to the selected solutions. Contribution to the framework and data access is expected to add value, notably for improvement and expansion of data sets, tools and algorithms for efficient new AI/ML solutions. Generation and exchange of data across EU-ROK stakeholders is in scope where possible and appropriate. Proposals on validation of AI techniques over experimental platforms, additionally providing the associated datasets, are in scope.

Applicants are invited to explain how the EU-ROK cooperation will be implemented, i.e., the target ROK initiative to collaborate with and the approach of cooperation to be deployed with ROK stakeholders. The retained project is expected to work with relevant ROK funded initiatives such as project(s) on EU-ROK cooperation funded by [the Republic of Korea Institute for Information & Communications Technology Promotion (IITP) and the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT). In this context, proposals should describe joint research dissemination activities including joint research publications in renowned international conferences and journals. Furthermore, proposals should include description of specific cooperation activities to be carried out such as exchange of information and results, sharing of data, sharing of methodologies, researcher exchanges and visits, joint workshops, joint testbeds etc.

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