Berlin leads 6G tech transfer for health and mobility
Prof. Dr. Slawomir Stanczak, Head of Wireless Communications and Networks Department, will coordinate the two new projects xG-RIC and xG-NOVA at Fraunhofer HHI. - © Fraunhofer HHI
Berlin is strengthening its position as a hub for next-generation wireless technology. The Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institute (HHI) is coordinating two interconnected 6G research projects that will receive approximately €40 million in federal funding through 2029.
According to a press release from Fraunhofer HHI, the projects xG-RIC and xG-NOVA build on results from the successful first funding phase (2021-2025) and focus on transferring 6G technologies into real-world applications.
xG-RIC serves as a technology transfer hub targeting connected medicine and future mobility. The project addresses integrated communication and sensing, collaborative robotics, and resilient network architectures for safety-critical applications. The goal is to accelerate industrial adoption of key 6G technologies developed during the initial research phase.
xG-NOVA complements this work by developing specialized test infrastructures where disruptive technologies can be validated under realistic conditions. These include AI-based edge intelligence, quantum sensing, and non-terrestrial networks.
"We are building a bridge between excellent research and concrete applications in medicine and mobility," says Prof. Slawomir Stanczak, project coordinator and department head at Fraunhofer HHI.
The projects involve major partners including the German Aerospace Center, Technical University of Berlin, Charité's German Heart Center, and several Fraunhofer institutes. An official kick-off event is scheduled for February 20, 2026, bringing together representatives from politics, business, and science.
The initiative aligns with Germany's national research roadmap for secure and resilient communication systems, aiming to strengthen the country's technological sovereignty and competitiveness in this strategic field.