I spent a two-month secondment from 9 March 2026 to 8 May 2026 at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Belgium. For me, it was a rewarding experience, during which I met my collaborator, Professor An Braeken, in person for the first time. I have met and worked with Prof. Braeken electronically for a couple of years, but this was the first time we met in person. The secondment was filled with valuable lessons, insights, and experiences to work with Prof. Braeken on research topics related to blockchain security and verifiable federated (un)learning, as a part of the ENSURE-6G project and our ongoing collaborative research activities.
The secondment was particularly significant because it enabled us to continue our work on verifiable federated unlearning (VeriFUL). Our meetings and fruitful discussions during my secondment indicated that our ideas on trustworthy AI and verifiable federated unlearning are of importance, given the enactment of recent data regulations and AI laws. Consequently, we agreed to further strengthen our collaboration through new research papers and EU funding proposals.
As a part of the secondment, we all contributed (a part) to the preparation and completion of several deliverables in ENSURE-6G, including Deliverable D2.1 (a journal article on trustworthy and distributed AI in 6G, submitted in March 2026) and Deliverable D5.1 (a report on 6G security test cases. As the Work Package Leaders in ENSURE-6G, we during the secondment time also contributed to the preliminary preparation for the mid-term review of our ENSURE-6G project (organised in June 2026).
Personally, the secondment provided me with a wonderful opportunity to explore Belgium, a country that I had long wished to visit since childhood. I spent enjoyable weekends travelling throughout the country, particularly in and around Brussels.
Overall, the secondment was a great experience for me, and I look forward to building upon the ideas and discussions initiated during the visit to develop further fruitful collaborations with Prof. Braeken and her team at VUB, and more broadly, with our partners in the ENSURE-6G project.
