The 6G & AIL Lab at the Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (FIIT STU), welcomes the launch of IoT-ZERO, a new Horizon Europe project coordinated by TU Wien and focused on ultra-low-energy IoT for the 6G era. The project brings together leading European research institutions and industry partners to develop communication architectures and protocols that will allow future IoT devices to operate with extremely low energy consumption, including battery-less and energy-harvesting approaches.
For FIIT STU, this project represents an important recognition of Slovak research in next-generation wireless systems and energy-aware connectivity. The involvement of Slovak SME Sensoneo adds strong industrial relevance and regional impact, especially in the area of large-scale IoT deployments and smart city applications, where energy efficiency, reliability, and long-term sustainability are critical.
Strategic Relevance for 6G Research
From the perspective of the 6G AIL Lab, IoT-ZERO aligns closely with the lab’s long-term focus on intelligent sensors, communication architectures, V2X systems, and advanced wireless networking. As connected environments continue to expand, the need for devices that can communicate reliably while consuming minimal power becomes increasingly important across transport, infrastructure, and urban sensing applications.
The project’s ambition to support secure connectivity across terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks also reflects a broader direction in 6G research, where resilient communication must work seamlessly across diverse network layers and deployment scenarios. For a lab working at the intersection of intelligent transport, sensor systems, and next-generation networks, this is a highly relevant step forward.
Slovak Contribution to Europe
The participation of two Slovak partners, FIIT STU and Sensoneo, demonstrates that Slovak institutions are contributing to high-impact European research with clear practical outcomes. Horizon Europe projects of this type are highly competitive, and their success signals strong research quality and international collaboration potential. In this context, FIIT STU sees IoT-ZERO not only as a scientific opportunity, but also as a platform for transferring advanced know-how into real-world deployments.
The 6G AIL Lab views IoT-ZERO as a meaningful contribution to the future of sustainable connectivity, where efficiency is no longer an optimization target but a fundamental design principle. By supporting research into near-zero-energy IoT devices, the project helps define the technical foundations for the next generation of smart systems. For FIIT STU, it is also an opportunity to strengthen its role in European research and to help shape the 6G landscape from Slovakia.
IoT-ZERO is set to begin on 1 June 2026.