As part of the ENSURE-6G Staff Exchange Programme, funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), and within Task 2.1: Design of AI-driven security solutions for 6G Networks, Dr. Atefeh Khazaei from the University of Portsmouth (UK) completed a secondment at Telefónica Innovación Digital (TID) in Barcelona during August and September 2025.
The collaboration focuses on addressing major challenges in 6G networks, particularly in the areas of privacy, security, and performance. The team explored innovative AI-driven solutions designed to be not only secure and high-performing, but also energy-efficient and sustainable. This joint effort between the University of Portsmouth and Telefónica’s R&I team aims to enhance network performance while reducing the energy footprint of future communication systems.
The secondment effectively bridged state-of-the-art academic research with real-world industry environments, supporting Europe’s digital sovereignty and the responsible deployment of upcoming 6G infrastructures.
Dr. Khazaei expresses her sincere appreciation to Dr. Ferran Diego Andilla and his team for their warm welcome and collaboration. She also extends her thanks to the ENSURE-6G consortium—particularly Dr. Ronel Beukman and Dr. Katerina Kanta—for facilitating these valuable exchange opportunities.
This collaboration reinforces ENSURE-6G’s mission to advance secure, privacy-preserving, and trustworthy 6G technologies through international knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary research.
