FAU starts EU project SUSTAINET for secure communication networks!

FAU starts EU project SUSTAINET for secure communication networks!

On May 12, 2025, the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) announced that it is involved in a significant EU project called SUSTAINET. This project aims to optimize communication networks using fail-safe and sustainable technologies for critical infrastructures. Funding for the project through the CELTIC NEXT initiative amounts to 1.4 million euros. However, the total amount for the entire project is almost 14 million euros and will be distributed to various institutions from five countries until December 2027.

SUSTAINET-inNOvAte brings together over 20 research institutions, including the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS. Research activities include innovative approaches to predicting failures of important communication devices using machine learning and securing confidential data during processing using so-called “confidential computing” methods. A team is also working on digital twins to simulate disruptions in communication networks.

The FAU research groups

FAU is involved in the project with three research groups.

• Prof. Dr. Vasileios Belagiannis arbeitet an der Entwicklung von Methoden zur Vorhersage von Ausfällen.
• Prof. Dr. Felix Freiling erforscht die Aspekte des „Confidential Computing“.
• Prof. Dr. Reinhard German setzt sich mit digitalen Zwillingen auseinander, um Störungen effektiv zu modellieren.

The data required for research comes from Nokia Solutions and Networks GmbH and is anonymized. This collaboration is an essential part of efforts to increase security standards in critical areas such as airports, banks and hospitals to strengthen digital resilience.

Successful award for AI-NET

The importance of secure and sustainable communication solutions was also evident in another project: AI-NET. This project received the “CELTIC-NEXT Innovation Award” during the Berlin 6G Conference in July 2024. The award was presented by CELTIC-NEXT, an information and communication technologies initiative. AI-NET was a collaboration between seven European countries and developed solutions for the automation of optical communication networks.

The project, active from 2021 to 2024 and funded with 68.4 million euros, focused on three technology areas: communication networks for 5G and future 6G technologies, edge data centers and artificial intelligence (AI). Fraunhofer HHI led the third work package on AI-supported network control and service automation.

In summary, the SUSTAINET and AI-NET projects not only contribute to strengthening European innovation in the field of communication technologies, but also represent a decisive step towards ensuring the robustness of critical infrastructures. These initiatives are evidence of the increasingly central role of secure communications research and its potential to support digital transformation in Europe. The developments in these projects will be of great importance for the industry in the coming years.

Further information about the projects can be found on the website of FAU, Fraunhofer HHI as well as CELTIC NEXT be found.