The 2021 CONASENSE International Symposium has been jointly organised in hybrid mode (Munich, fortiss) by CTIF
and fortiss within the context of a recently established research partnership between the two institutions.

The aim of the 11th edition of CONASENSE was to bring together academia, business sectors, government, and standardization organizations to present their techno–business solutions and approaches, having as basis the following areas:
• Communications: This research area focuses on an intelligent network that optimizes data
transmission, along with energy efficiency, and cutting–Edge data compression, and robust
protocols for a decentralized, complex, and heterogeneous network that can be combined with
fixed, wireless, and optical wireless communications (OWC). Finally, security is also considered
for improvement, including blockchain communications and quantum communications based on
quantum key distribution.
o Main topics of interests: Terahertz communications, 6G Networks, Open–RAN, Optical
Wireless Communications, Machine–to–machine communications, Quantum
Communications, IIoT, Cyber Security.
• Navigation & Satellites: future networks and high precision, smart sensors, coupled with
Machine Learning, bring in the possibility to address precise positioning indoor, outdoor, in
scarce and densely covered areas. Expectations are that future navigation systems will be able
to handle exact positioning, in time a space, down to a centimetre level to all network nodes.
o Main Areas of interests: autonomous indoor navigation systems; augmented reality indoor
navigation; outdoor navigation systems based on Global Navigation Satellite Systems;
applications in different vertical sectors, from autonomous vehicles to drones to unmanned
spaceships to nanotechnologies applied in the medical field; navigation systems for e.g.,
visually impaired people; navigation systems based on wireless technology (e.g., NFC, Wi–
Fi/GPS).
• Sensing: Sensing relates with the efficient and smart integration of (IoT) devices within diverse
scenarios related with the societal lifecycles. The increasing number of sensors on IoT implies an
increase in data exchange, and a change of roles, leading to service decentralisation and having
the user (citizen) as a prosumer.
o Main topics of interests: IoT and its integration in different vertical markets (e.g., IoT for
Health, Industrial IoT); IoT services supported by satellite systems and space
communications; semantic technologies and interoperability; crowd–based sensing;
swarming; behaviour learning and inference, federated and other decentralised learning
approaches.
• Services: There are several services to benefit from it, in all vertical industries and to mention
just a few services.
o Main topics of interests: multi–sensors data fusion, machine learning for autonomous
systems, human–centered engineering, man–machine interfaces, edge–cloud services,
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), AI, Machine Learning for Robotic guidance, smart cities,
smart vehicles, autonomous vehicles, flying cars, drones, Internet of Nano Things (INoT),
emergency services, remote surgery, smart manufacturing, smart logistics, smart meters,
smart antennas, space explorations, communication services, and underwater
communications.

The key objectives established for the 2021 workshop were:
• To ignite discussion focused on the development of the 6G paradigm based on an
interdisciplinary methodology.
• To further develop the CONASENSE vision towards 6G.
• To further strengthen the cooperation established between fortiss and CTIF.

The event has been supported by fortiss in hybrid mode. A total of 25 invited speakers has participated in the event, being 15 experts face–to–face in fortiss, Munich, Germany. The overall audience consisted of the speakers and of an invited audience in a total of 50 participants. The remote participation has been supported by fortiss via Web conferencing. The overall expertise of the
participants was very broad starting from research, system and solution engineering, innovation and technology management, standardisation, strategic product management and marketing.