6G-DISAC: 6G for Distributed Intelligent Sensing and Communication

Project Information

6G-DISAC

Grant agreement ID: 101139130

DOI

10.3030/101139130

EC signature date 6 December 2023

Start date 1 January 2024

End date 31 December 2026

Funded under

• Digital, Industry and Space

Total cost

€ 4 231 312,00

EU contribution

€ 3 999 728,25

Coordinated by

COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - 6G-DISAC (6G-DISAC: 6G for Distributed Intelligent Sensing and Communication)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Wireless communication networks are at the heart of Europe’s digital transformation, supporting everything from mobile broadband to connected vehicles and industrial automation. With 6G on the horizon, the ambition is not only to improve connectivity but also to make networks more intelligent, secure, and sustainable. A key innovation for 6G is the integration of sensing into communication networks, enabling them to perceive and understand their environment in addition to transmitting data. The 6G-DISAC project addresses this challenge by developing the concept of Distributed Intelligent Sensing and Communication (DISAC). Today’s 5G networks already connect billions of devices, but they cannot directly provide reliable information about the surrounding environment. This limits their ability to support critical applications such as protecting pedestrians at busy intersections, guiding automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in smart factories, or enabling safer, more sustainable mobility systems.

By integrating sensing capabilities into future 6G networks, 6G-DISAC enables a new class of services where networks act as both connectivity and perception platforms. In practical terms, this means:
• Road intersections where vehicles and vulnerable road users are detected in real time, enhancing traffic safety.
• Factories where mobile robots can navigate efficiently and safely using network-based sensing.
• Networks that can adapt intelligently to their environment, using fewer resources and reducing energy consumption.

The project brings together leading academic, industrial, and SME partners across Europe to pursue three main objectives:
1. Scientific leadership – advancing the theoretical foundations of distributed ISAC, from waveform design to network orchestration.
2. Industrial relevance – developing demonstrators and prototypes that validate concepts in realistic scenarios.
3. Societal value – The project addresses key societal challenges through its selected use cases.

6G-DISAC follows a clear pathway to impact. Scientific advances are translated into demonstrators and standardisation contributions, ensuring early alignment with global 6G development. Industrial partners integrate results into their technology pipelines, while academic partners ensure dissemination through publications, patents, and training. Societal needs are addressed through use cases that directly impact safety and sustainability.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During its first reporting period, the 6G-DISAC project has advanced the foundations of Distributed Intelligent Sensing and Communication (DISAC), establishing Europe as a leader in this emerging 6G domain. The project followed a structured approach, moving from theory to implementation and preparing demonstrators that validate key concepts in realistic scenarios.

Scientific and technical achievements:
-Architecture and use cases: The project defined a common DISAC architecture that integrates sensing into communication networks in a distributed manner. This was applied to selected use cases with high societal value, including vulnerable road user protection at intersections and automated guided vehicle navigation in smart factories.
-Algorithms and protocols: Researchers developed new methods for joint waveform design, channel estimation, and distributed resource management. These advances allow multiple base stations and devices to cooperate, improving both sensing accuracy and communication efficiency.
-Orchestration and control: Novel approaches for coordinating sensing and communication across the network were designed, ensuring that sensing information can be shared, fused, and exploited while respecting communication requirements.
-Demonstrator preparation: Work started on five complementary platforms to test DISAC concepts in practice. These cover channel sounding, semantic signal processing, RIS-aided sensing, 5G-based waveform testing, and a large-scale “assisted parking” use case.

Through these activities, 6G-DISAC has established the foundations of distributed ISAC as a core building block for 6G, combining theoretical innovation, early demonstrator development, and direct impact on standardisation.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The 6G-DISAC project has already produced results that go significantly beyond the state of the art in integrated sensing and communication. While 5G networks provide connectivity, they do not natively support distributed sensing. 6G-DISAC pioneers new concepts that transform networks into joint communication and perception platforms.

Key results achieved so far
• Distributed ISAC architecture: The project introduced one of the first architectures that allows multiple network nodes to cooperate in both communication and sensing, going beyond single-node or centralised approaches studied so far.
• Advanced algorithms and protocols: Novel waveform designs, cooperative channel estimation, and distributed resource allocation schemes were developed, enabling reliable sensing without compromising communication performance.
• Semantic-aware methods: The project demonstrated how semantic representations of information can reduce overhead and improve efficiency in joint sensing-communication tasks.
• RIS-aided sensing: Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) were extended from communication-only functions to sensing, creating new opportunities for localisation and environment mapping.
• KPI/KVI framework: The project results integrate technical Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with Key Value Indicators (KVIs) such as sustainability, inclusion, and trust, linking technological innovation with societal impact.

Potential impacts
• Scientific: Establishing distributed ISAC as a distinct research field, visible through 73 publications and 7 patents, shaping global 6G agendas.
• Industrial: Providing a clear pathway for new products and services, such as cooperative vehicle safety systems and sensing-enabled factory networks. Early patents and demonstrator development create strong exploitation opportunities.
• Societal: Enabling applications with high social value, such as increased road safety for vulnerable road users and more efficient, sustainable industrial processes.

Key needs for further uptake and success
• Further research: Continued investigation of scaling, robustness, and real-time implementation of distributed ISAC is needed, especially in dynamic environments.
• Demonstration: Large-scale pilots are essential to validate the concepts in realistic conditions and to gain stakeholder confidence.
• Standardisation and regulation: Alignment with 3GPP, ETSI, and ISO standards will be crucial to ensure interoperability and global adoption.
• Commercialisation and IPR support: Strong intellectual property management and industrial partnerships will be needed to bring DISAC technologies to market.
• Internationalisation: Engagement with global research and policy initiatives will be vital to secure Europe’s leadership in 6G ISAC and ensure impact beyond the EU.

With these advances, 6G-DISAC is positioning Europe at the forefront of 6G development, where networks will no longer only connect devices but will also sense, understand, and adapt to the world around them.

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