With the start of the second funding phase of the "6G-life²" project, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Technical University of Dresden (TUD) are strengthening their leading roles in the development of future communication technologies. Interdisciplinary teams are developing concepts and technical solutions for the sixth generation of mobile communications, expected to launch commercially in 2030. The current project phase of the "6G-life²" transfer hub runs until December 2029.
Andreas Heddergott / TUM Today's 5G mobile communications standard focuses primarily on communication between machines. With 6G, however, the focus will shift to humans, i.e., their communication and interaction with machines and virtual worlds. Examples include care robots and teleoperations. Since the start of the first funding period, "6G-life" in 2021, researchers have already established an ecosystem of basic research and application-oriented technology developments. In the second project phase, "6G-life²" these foundations will now be used for the targeted transfer of research results into practice, enabling the creation of concrete technologies for the network of the future. The German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space is supporting "6G-life²" with 25 million euros over four years as part of the "6G Research Roadmap 2025-2030." The 6G Roadmap aims to pave the way for secure and resilient 6G communication technologies, enabling Germany to continue shaping the technologies of tomorrow.
"The infrastructure of the future must not only be powerful and reliable, but above all secure, sustainable, flexible, and ultimately cost-effective to implement. This is precisely why we at TUM are working with TUD to develop the necessary concepts and technologies," says Wolfgang Kellerer, Professor of Communication Networks at TUM. "At the same time, we want to establish a direct transfer of knowledge industry and incorporate the fundamentals of 6G into teaching."
The second funding phase focuses on communication for networked robotics
Future research by "6G-life²" goes beyond pure communication and integrates computing as the basis for new business models. In computing, the focus is on energy-efficient and fast calculation methods, enabling numerous applications to function in real-time. This includes important topics such as the industrial metaverse, i.e., virtual and digital representations of factories and working environments, as well as robotics, sensor technology, and motion mechanisms for human-machine interaction.
Another key component of the second funding phase of "6G-life²" is the construction of a complete demonstrator. Its purpose is not only to examine whether the technologies developed function reliably, but also to test new applications and clearly illustrate the advantages of 6G.
Targeted support for start-ups
Another important component of the initiative is providing targeted support to start-ups. "Technological sovereignty is of crucial importance, especially in the telecommunications industry, where Asian companies play a dominant role," says Wolfgang Kellerer. "To successfully advance the development of 6G in Bavaria and Germany, new technology companies are needed to fill existing gaps and quickly bring innovative solutions to the market." Already in 2024, the joint start-up incubator Launchhub42, based in Dresden, was established to support the transfer of results to society.
"Technological sovereignty and a strong startup ecosystem are at the heart of '6G-life²' and are now also reflected in the German government's high-tech agenda. We have already demonstrated the potential of excellent spin-offs in the field of 6G and robotics through our previous applications and close cooperation between TUD, TUM, and our transfer network," says Frank Fitzek, Professor of the Deutsche Telekom Professorship for Communication Networks at TUD. "The fact that the German government is so clearly emphasizing the importance of technological sovereignty for prosperity and social resilience reinforces our ambition for the coming funding phase: We will continue to drive forward the path to technological sovereignty - sustainably, trustworthily, and with the clear goal of translating cutting-edge research into innovations even faster. Projects such as '6G-life²' lay the foundation for this with immersive, intelligent networks and real high-tech applications made in Germany."
Joining forces with the "6G Future Lab Bavaria"
In Bavaria, the second phase of the "6G Future Lab Bavaria" was launched in April last year. Research at TUM focuses on digital twins, energy efficiency, network security, and resource management, complementing research in "6G-life." Both projects consider the same application scenarios and work closely together to create experimental systems, test beds, and demonstrators.
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Andreas Heddergott / TUM - The following professorships and groups at TUM are involved in research at 6G-life and the 6G Future Lab Bavaria: Communication Networks, Media Technology, Theoretical Information Technology, Network Architectures and Network Services, Machine Learning, Integrated Systems, Connected Mobility, Information Technology Security, Signal Processing Methods, Coding for Communication and Data Storage, Security, Performance and Reliability of Learning Systems, Minimally Invasive Interdisciplinary Therapeutic Intervention, Information Technology Control, Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence.
- 6G-life is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR).
- The 6G Future Lab Bavaria is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development, and Energy.
- „Schneller und sicherer: Die 6G-Forschungsroadmap ist da" (Press release from the BMFTR dated December 29, 2025) (in German)
- „Unser Weg zu 6G" (6G Research Roadmap 2025-2030) (in German)
