The EU Eureka CELTIC-NEXT 6G-SMART project, with a budget of over 5 million euros, is aiming to contribute to Turkey's domestic 6G ecosystem under the consultancy of Dr. Abdulkadir Köse, a faculty member of AGU's Computer Engineering Department.
Supported by the Eureka CELTIC-NEXT platform, established by the European Commission, which provides opportunities for projects contributing to a sustainable world in the field of next-generation communications for the digital society, the international partnership project "6G-SMART" also receives incentives from TÜBİTAK. Its goal is to contribute to future 6G technologies and the smart transformation in the area of Open Radio Access Networks (O-RAN). Dr. Abdulkadir Köse from AGU's Computer Engineering Department is providing consultancy for the project in Turkey.
The project, which has a total budget of over 5 million euros and will last for 3 years, involves leading technology companies in Europe, universities, research institutes, and technology companies from countries such as the UK, Spain, and Portugal, as well as Turkey's leading tech companies like Odine Solutions and Turkcell.
Using the Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architecture, the project aims to offer more flexible, sustainable, and AI-powered 6G network solutions. This modular structure reduces supplier dependency in telecoms, enabling the rapid development of innovative solutions, while also aiming to make 6G networks more autonomous and energy-efficient. The goal is for networks to become self-organizing and sustainable. The solutions developed within the project are expected to enhance network performance and energy efficiency while enabling flexible and autonomous management of the networks.
Project advisor Dr. Abdulkadir Köse stated that the project will make significant contributions to Turkey's domestic 6G ecosystem by 2030. He said, "The automation of O-RAN and 6G is gaining major importance both in Turkey and globally. The solutions developed within the 6G-SMART project will be tested in telecom and smart factory environments, helping these technologies become commercially ready. This project will also enhance Turkey’s capacity to produce innovative solutions for open radio access networks and help strengthen its position in the international market."
Dr. Köse added, "This project offers a chance to translate our university's academic expertise into practical application internationally, strengthening Turkey's R&D capacity while increasing the competitiveness of our local companies in global projects. Our university will expand its academic prestige and international collaboration network by contributing to such projects, and with the knowledge and experience gained, the university’s research and innovation-oriented development will accelerate." He emphasized the strategic importance of the project in university-industry collaboration.