The first two Doctoral Schools of the ISLANDS project took place between June 21–27 and July 1–4, 2025, at the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio . Organized by CNIT in collaboration with the MSCA Doctoral Network INTEGRATE, the events brought together doctoral candidates from across Europe for an intense and rewarding week of advanced training in wireless communication, sensing, and 6G technologies.
Hosted in the historic town of Cassino, the schools featured a diverse and in-depth programme covering both theoretical and practical topics, delivered by renowned academic and industry experts. Participants had the opportunity to engage with cutting-edge research themes, build connections, and gain new perspectives through lectures, discussions, and hands-on sessions.
The in-person programme, held from June 23 to June 27, included lectures such as:
- Fundamentals of MIMO Communications – Stefano Buzzi (Università degli Studi di Cassino e del Lazio/CNIT)
- A Vision on Commercial 6G – David López Pérez (Universitat Politècnica de València)
- Enabling Technologies for Next Generation Terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial Networks – Costantinos Papadias (American College of Greece – Research Centre)
- Fundamentals of Radar Detection – Marco Lops (Università degli Studi di Napoli/CNIT)
- Sustainable Networks for 6G and Beyond – Christos Masouros (University College of London)
- Advanced Cell-Free MIMO Deployments – Giovanni Interdonato (Università degli Studi di Cassino e del Lazio/CNIT)
- Status of V2X Communications in 3GPP – Harounabadi Mehdi (BOSCH)
The programme also included social events and informal networking opportunities, including group lunches and a social dinner, creating space for collaboration and exchange among fellows and instructors.
The online module, held on July 3 and 4, offered additional high-level content, including:
- Introduction to Estimation Theory – Henk Wymeersch (Chalmers University)
- From Localization to Coherent Imaging: Fundamentals, Methods and Challenges on the Road to 6G – Dario Tagliaferri (Politecnico di Milano/CNIT)
These schools mark a key milestone in the ISLANDS training programme, not only for their academic quality but also for the strong collaboration with the INTEGRATE network. They provided doctoral candidates with crucial skills and insights needed for research in next-generation wireless systems, while strengthening the community of early-stage researchers engaged in 6G development.
We thank all speakers, chairs, and participants for their valuable contributions and look forward to the next steps in our training journey!
