When working with telecommunications, it is crucial to continuously test how well various adjustments work, such as with 5G, which is especially used to transmit images and video, and where power consumption is extremely important. Is there enough bandwidth, and does it go faster if you change different parameters? 5G testing capabilities have been significantly improved through the Nordic IoT Hub project / HI2OT, where five Nordic universities have worked closely together from 2018 to 2024.
During the project, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim provided remote access to their state-of-the-art 5G laboratory, allowing researchers at DTU, Lund University, The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and Aalto University in Finland to log in from home and conduct experiments. This was immensely helpful during the Covid-19 pandemic, as research could continue despite partial lockdowns in the countries.
”The Nordic IoT Hub has significantly enhanced our students' education and research opportunities. Through remote access to state-of-the-art laboratories across five Nordic universities, our PhD students could continue their research uninterrupted, even during the pandemic. The hub's collaborative approach created a unique environment where students actively participated in joint experiments, workshops, and courses, significantly enriching their academic and professional development,” says Paul Pop, Professor and Head of Section for ESE - Embedded Systems Engineering at DTU Compute and Lead for the project.
DTU Compute: Unique opportunities in framework project
Nordic IoT Hub was initially conceived as a research school offering courses and training in IoT to PhD students across borders. This resulted in over 80 joint high-level courses, among them five summer schools, and numerous workshops and special sessions. Additionally, there were numerous study stays for the associated 62 PhD students, 46 of whom have graduated so far.
However, the hub evolved into much more, including open IoT labs with nearly 40 setups shared among the partners. A Nordic IIoT roadmap was also developed as a supplement to a European one, as the Nordic countries are significantly ahead in digitalisation. Read more in the fact box.
“Originally, the project was set for six years, which is a long time horizon from a Danish perspective. It was even extended by an additional year due to the pandemic. At the same time, it was a kind of framework project where we could fill in content along the way, and it has given us unique opportunities,” says Project Consultant Ivan Ring Nielsen at DTU Compute, who has been the project leader.
Professor Paul Pop states that the Nordic IoT Hub has significantly enhanced ESE’s research capabilities by fostering collaboration across five Nordic universities.
“Additionally, ESE has been actively involved in new initiatives, such as proposals to MSCA Doctoral Networks and COST Actions focused on ICT for sustainability and green computing, reinforcing our role in shaping the future of industrial IoT research, ensuring that our expertise in embedded systems engineering drives impactful innovation across the Nordic region,” says Paul Pop.
DTU Electro: strong Nordic network
In addition to DTU Compute, DTU Electro has also been a partner in the project. Here, Associate Professor Michael Stübert Berger has overseen the department’s PhD students.
He mentions that they co-authored peer-reviewed conference papers with PhD students at NTNU and Lund University, which were presented at recent conferences. The research was based on shared experiences from the measurements they had made via 5G remote access.
“Remote access is not so unusual. We do it when we sit in our own offices and control processes that take place in the basement. But it has given us the opportunity to work with something we otherwise would not have been able to. Moreover, the personal network has been highly beneficial for the young students. The project has also given us researchers a strong Nordic network that we did not have before, and today we help each other as examiners, etc.,” says Michael Stübert Berger.
Today, students continue to utilize resources and contacts across the universities.
“It is also worth mentioning that smaller groups of PhD students in the Hub organized workshops for the entire group, which were quite successful,” he adds.
