Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ADWICE (Advanced Wireless Technologies for Clever Engineering) Reporting period: 2015-06-01 to 2016-05-31 Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project For a smart and connected world, competitive technologies have to be tailored. University centres, start-ups and spin-offs can contribute by original ideas to advancing products and services of established companies. Such an approach shifted the region of Graz to leaders in RFID technologies, and the region of Linz to leaders in advanced polymers. The region of Brno aims to apply the successful Austrian model in the field of wireless technologies. Therefore, the project Advanced Wireless Technologies for Clever Engineering (ADWICE) was submitted by the Centre of Sensor, Information and Communication Systems (SIX) on the Czech side TU Wien (TUW) on the Austrian side.Excellence in research is the key element of the Austrian model. Whereas TUW is set on the 91st position among engineering faculties worldwide by QS World University Rankings, Brno University of Technology, a mother university of SIX, occupies 500+ position. The partnership has to therefore result in the transfer of excellence in research from TUW to SIX. The Brno University of Technology with its excellent laboratory equipment and a clear support of the Czech government to maintain this, on the one hand, and the Technische Universität Wien on the other hand, with its international visible expertise and high reputation, are excellent partners to succeed in shaping a reformed SIX Centre with high international visibility and strong impact on industry. Through implementing the business plan prepared in Phase 1 of the ADWICE project, we will be able to stimulate innovations jointly with companies and even prepare for far-ahead visionary research quests that finally will be the driving future motor for the industry in Moravia.Increasing excellence in fundamental research, strengthening international aspect of research and improving the attractiveness of applied research are the overall objectives to allow for the upgrade of SIX to an excellent and internationally visible research centre. Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far The reporting period covers twelve months during which the business plan for the upgrade of the Centre of Sensor, Information and Communication Systems (SIX) in partnership with Technische Universität Wien (TUW) was created. The business plan, as the core project deliverable of ADWICE, exploits different reports and other documents created jointly by SIX and TUW teams to increase the feasibility of the upgrade. The reports include:- A report on engineering topics attractive to female researchers, revealing possibilities for improved gender balance at the research centre, - A report on funding-related studies, providing a detailed overview of opportunities available to obtain competitive research funding,- A report on long-term research plans, describing research areas and research targets to be achieved jointly by SIX and TUW during the following seven years,- A report on research related studies, analysing the possibilities of cooperation with industry as well as other research institutions, exploring the possible scenarios and impact for researcher mobility and the potential for internationalization through participation in event and conference organization.The cooperation of SIX and TUW is ready to develop in education at the master and doctoral level – a joint master study programme has been approved to open in 2016, and a These Cotutelle scheme was agreed upon for co-supervised Ph.D. students. 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 long term research plans defined in the framework of the ADWICE project represent the main innovation. They contain the research strategy, aims and goals to be achieved in the following seven years, in context of the current state of the art, in seven research fields: 1) Smart sensor systems, 2) Networked signal processing, 3) Smart transport, 4) High mobility communications, 5) Advanced cybersecurity, 6) Advanced antennas and circuits, 7) Awareness in cyber-physical systems, jointly contributing to the “Smart Infrastructure for a Connected World”.The increased internationalization and research excellence of SIX personnel allowed through the implementation of the ADWICE business plan will result in higher quality education and higher research impact of talents available at Brno University of Technology. That way, the region as well as the EU will benefit from increased competitiveness. A drawing from the front page of the buiness plan, implying how ADWICE bridges TUW and SIX
