ACG 150

The EU Horizon MSCA Project ISLANDS held a Winter School on Joint Communication and Sensing (JC&S) from January 11 to 13, 2026, in Ponte di Legno, Italy. The School, jointly organized by Doctoral Networks ISLANDS and 6th Sense,  was followed by the 6th IEEE International Symposium on Joint Communications and Sensing (JCNS 2026), attended by ACG-RC’s two doctoral candidates, Mr. Nima Imani and Mr. Mubashar Sarfraz, as well as Prof. Constantinos Papadias, who is the ISLANDS project’s Scientific Manager.

The event brought together doctoral candidates, early-stage researchers, and practitioners focused on Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC). Over 50 participants attended, including all 10 doctoral candidates recruited thus far within the ISLANDS project. This strong turnout reflected significant engagement from both the ISLANDS community and the broader international research community. The winter school fostered vibrant scientific discussions, interdisciplinary exchanges, and networking opportunities within a unique academic and natural environment.

Besides the technical presentations given by world-leading experts on the topic, hands-on training sessions were also held, bridging the gap between theory and practice with the use of software-defined radios (SDRs). Industry and standardization bodies such as Ericsson, Nokia, Bosch, and ETSI/3GPP contributed valuable insights. The strong participation and enthusiasm of the doctoral candidates, along with the contributions of lecturers and project partners, underscored the event’s success and highlighted the importance of advanced doctoral training within the ISLANDS MSCA Doctoral Network.