SLICES Summer School 2026
About the Event
Dear SLICES research community,
The SLICES-RI Summer School 2026 will take place in Madrid downtown, June 9-11, hosted by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M, Puerta de Toledo Campus). As a showcase event for SLICES-RI, a major European experimentation platform in digital research, this summer school represents a strategic investment in both people and innovation. Now in its 5th edition, the school reinforces its role as the agora where SLICES-RI research and innovation are promoted and implemented.
Designed as an intensive, immersive experience, the event brings together talented students, early-career researchers, practitioners, and leading experts from Europe and North America. The goal is to foster collaboration at the intersection of networking, cloud computing, IoT, data, artificial intelligence, and wireless technologies.
Core Pillars of the 2026 Program
Student Networking and Community Building
- Professional Connections: Carefully structured activities—including collaborative training, mentoring sessions, and informal social events—encourage participants to build strong professional connections across institutions, disciplines, and countries.
- Long-term Collaboration: These interactions lay the foundations for research collaborations and career opportunities within the European innovation landscape.
- Community Engagement: Participants engage directly with influential researchers, innovators, and SLICES-RI decision-makers through panels and dedicated networking sessions.
Training of Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP)
- Next-Generation Partners: The school plays a key role in training graduate students who represent the next generation of SLICES-RI partners.
- Technical & Practical Skills: Through advanced lectures and hands-on labs led by leading academics and industry experts, participants gain deep technical knowledge and practical skills.
- Vertical Services: Emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary thinking, innovation, and entrepreneurship, equipping attendees to contribute to technology-driven organizations.
Highlight for this year 2026: Beta Testing Phase
- Technology Maturation: Following the precedent of previous editions, the school will conduct a beta testing phase, this time focusing on the SLICES-RI minimum viable product (MVP).
- Recruitment: SLICES-RI is recruiting 10 participants (outside the node implementers) to test, validate, and refine SLICES-RI Blueprints (BPs) and data management tools.
- Student Experience: This initiative gives students and researchers valuable experience in product development, experimentation, and translational research.
- Support & Incentives: To facilitate this engagement, selected beta testers will receive a grant covering the summer school fee in recognition of their participation and contribution. (Contact this email address if you would like to be considered for the grant: daniel.lorenzo@networks.imdea.org)
Scientific Program and Themes
The school will run for 3 full days, featuring two keynotes and invited distinguished speakers. The training program will cover all topics within the SLICES Minimum Viable Product to be launched in September 2026:
- Basic Infrastructure (BI): Training on how to access SLICES and basic infrastructure services.
- Post 5G Blueprint: System designs based on O-RAN and OAI principles.
- Cloud-Edge Blueprint: Seamless integration for vertical services.
- Federated AI: Distributed intelligence across the network.
- Quantum Networking: Emerging research in quantum systems.
- Data and Reproducibility Management: Best practices for reproducibility with FAIR principles for data access
Venue and Logistics: UC3M, Campus Puerta de Toledo, Madrid downtown
The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) is a prestigious Spanish public university known for its commitment to research, innovation, and internationalization. Established in 1989, UC3M has a strong reputation in digital technology and offers an ideal collaborative ecosystem for this event.
Facilities: The venue provides plenary session rooms with remote access, parallel training rooms with high-speed Internet, and dedicated spaces for mentoring.
The address of UC3M Puerta de Toledo Campus is:
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Ronda de Toledo, 1
28005 Madrid
Format: The school is in-person for students and researchers, with the potential for remote keynotes and presenters.
Organizing Committee
- General Chair: Antonio de la Oliva (UC3M)
- Technical Program Committee (TPC):
- Brecht Vermeulen (BE) – Access/Federated AI
- Nikos Makris (UTH) – Architecture
- Armir Bujari (UGE) – Cloud-edge
- Sebastian Gallenmüller (TUM) – Reproducibility
- Panayiotis Andreou (ULAN) – Data
- Remous-Aris Koutsiamanis (IMT) – Cloud
- Eduardo Jacop Taquet (EHU) – Quantum
Programme
Day 1 – 9th June
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Opening and plans/goals for the week |
| 09:30 – 10:30 | Keynote #1: Christian Esteve Rothenberg on experimentation with P4 switches |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee Break |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | Keynote #2: TBC |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Overview of the SLICES architecture and goals – Brecht Vermeulen |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | Lunch Break |
| 14:00 – 15:30 | Training 1: Experimentation with the Basic Infrastructure Service – Brecht Vermeulen |
| 15:30 – 17:00 | Training 2: Experimentation with the Federated AI Service – Brecht Vermeulen |
| 18:00 – 20:00 | Students event |
Day 2 – 10th June
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Opening recap of day 1 (take home from the keynotes and training, Q&A) |
| 09:30 – 11:00 | Training 3: Data management and POS – Sebastian Gallenmüller/Panayiotis Andreou/Panagiotis H. |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee Break |
| 11:30 – 13:30 | Invited lecture: Malaga center for experimentation and NTN – Sergio Fortes |
| 13:30 – 14:30 | Lunch Break |
| 14:30 – 16:30 | Training 4: Experimentation with the Post 5G service – Daniel Lorenzo |
| 16:30 – 17:00 | Q&A |
| 19:00 – 23:00 | Social Event |
Day 3 – 11th June
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Opening recap of day 2 (take home the training, Q&A) |
| 09:30 – 11:30 | Training 5: Experimentation with the Core-edge Service – Armir Bujari |
| 11:30 – 13:00 | Training 6: Experimentation with the Quantum Service – Ane Sanz/Jorge Sasiain |
| 13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch Break |
| 14:30 – 16:00 or (Parallel session) | Open session on all BPs and meeting with the beta testers OR Invited Workshop: Greendigit, how to make your research more sustainable |
Registration
The official registration guide for the SLICES Summer School is now available. You can access it by clicking the button below.
We will be honoured by your interest and participation in the school, and we look forward to the possibility of welcoming you to Madrid you as contributors to our leading edge European scientific instrument in digital research.
How to reach UC3M´s Puerta de Toledo Campus
From Adolfo Suarez Madrid Barajas Airport to Puerta de Toledo
If you arrive to T1, T2 or T3, take metro line 8 towards Nuevos Ministerios and then line 10 to Alonso Martínez Metro, where you have to switch to Metro line 5 to Puerta de Toledo, two minutes from campus. If you arrive to T4, take the C1 line to Principe Pío until Piramides Stop and then Metro 5 line untill next stop, Puerta de Toledo.
From the centre of Madrid
- 10 lines of buses arrive at the Puerta de Toledo through the center of Madrid and stop on campus.
- You can also use Metro Line 5 and get off at the stop Puerta de Toledo.
From the AVE
Stops closest to campus are Pyramids (Lines C1, C7 and C10) or Ambassadors (C5 online). At these stations can switch to Metro line 5 to Puerta de Toledo.
How to get Puerta de Toledo webpage: https://www.uc3m.es/about-uc3m/how-to-get-here/madrid-puerta-de-toledo
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Contact:
If you need more information, please contact: daniel.lorenzo@networks.imdea.org