ELIXIRION - Schools

3rd and 4th Schools

From Monday, September 15 to Friday, September 19, 2025, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center hosted the 3rd and 4th ELIXIRION Schools at their premises in Barcelona, Spain. The third School, entitled “Integrated Non-Terrestrial and Terrestrial 6G Networks towards Healthcare 4.0”, provided advanced training on the integration of satellite, aerial, and terrestrial networks, addressing challenges, design considerations, and opportunities for enabling seamless Healthcare 4.0 services. The fourth School, entitled “Edge Computing and Distributed Computation in 6G”, focused on edge computing architectures, distributed computation strategies, and optimization techniques to support low-latency, high-reliability Healthcare 4.0 applications.

Both schools, delivered by academic and industrial partners alongside invited experts, offered essential knowledge to doctoral candidates contributing to the next generation of healthcare technology.

All presented material can be obtained here.

Date	Speaker	Title	School
Monday 15th of September 2025	AUTH Dr. Agapi Mesodiakaki	Introduction to NTN, key concepts and challenges	School 3
	BSC Dr. Elli Kartsakli & NBC Dr. Angelos Antonopoulos	Introduction to edge computing	School 4 Introduction to the edge computing paradigm ETSI MEC and relevant standardization activities
	CTTC Dr. Luis Blanco & Dr. Cristian Jesús Vaca-Rubio	O-RAN based NTN & Kolmogorov Arnold Networks (KANs) for satellite/edge	School 3
	CTTC Dr. Engin Zeydan	Recent advances in data engineering	School 4

Date	Speaker	Title	School
Tuesday 16th of September 2025	UPC Dr. Evgenii Vinogradov	UAV Communications in Integrated Terrestrial and Non-terrestrial Networks	School 3
	UPC Dr. Jordi Perez & Dra. Irene Vila	Reinforcement Learning for edge-enabled beyond 5G networks	School 4 AI in 5G and beyond Reinforcement Learning fundamentals Applicability of deep RL in the edge-enabled B5G RAN Trustworthy AI
	UPC Dr. Sergi Abadal	Nanonetworks and AI for advanced healthcare applications	School 4 Introduction to the concept of nanonetworking and the associated lines of research, including healthcare Intrabody nanonetworks as an enabler of advanced diagnostic systems to detect chronic diseases prior to symptoms The use of graph AI for healthcare applications in general and in intrabody nanonetworks in particular
	LU Dr. Flor Ortiz (Online)	Neuromorphic computing for satellite communications	School 3

Date	Speaker	Title	School
Wednesday 17th of September 2025	BSC Ms. Alba Cañete & BSC Mr. Oriol Martinez	Hands-on session on cloud-native technologies, orchestration and distributed computation	School 4

Date	Speaker	Title	School
Thursday 18th of September 2025	i2cat Dr. Joan A. Ruiz-de-Azua	Flexible payload aspects for satellite communications	School 3
	CTTC Dr. Pol Henarejos	PHY & application layer / health scenarios 5g- govsatcom and 5g-hub	School 3
	i2cat Mr. Reza Mosahebfard	Zero-touch orchestration in integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks	School 3/4

Date	Speaker	Title	School
Friday 19th of September 2025	NBC Mr. Michalis Dalgitsis	Hands-on session: Cloud-native service orchestration and automation	School 4 Step-by-step deployment of a simple NGINX-based service. DNS-based service discovery and automated workflow integration. Advanced orchestration scenario including autoscaling, migration, and monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana.
	NBC Mr. Michalis Dalgitsis	Hands-on session: 5G Core and RAN deployment	School 4 Deployment of 5G Core components (control and data plane functions). Integration of a RAN with the 5G Core network. Automation of UPF deployment and dynamic connection to the 5G Core.
	LU Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT) Dr. Mario Camana	Precoding and Interference Management for Satellite and Integrated Satellite- Terrestrial Networks	School 3

Schools 5 & 6

From February 17th to February 21st, 2025, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) hosted two training activities, Schools 5 & 6, in Athens, Greece.

The fifth school, entitled “Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Offering Full Network Automation for Healthcare 4.0,” provided essential training on AI/ML tools and their applications for full 6G network automation in healthcare. Various techniques were discussed, targeting automatic network orchestration and the “AI everywhere” principle while ensuring high robustness. Special focus was given to Explainable AI (XAI) algorithms and their benefits in terms of interpretability, transparency, and trustworthiness, with real-life medical examples demonstrating XAI’s importance to Healthcare 4.0 stakeholders.

The sixth school, entitled “Security and Blockchain for Healthcare 4.0,” focused on different methods for secure information handling, trusted data sharing, and data management in Healthcare 4.0. Special emphasis was placed on ensuring secure and incentivized collaboration among various stakeholders within the healthcare ecosystem. To achieve this, blockchain techniques were analyzed.

Both schools, delivered by our academic and industrial partners alongside invited experts, provided valuable skills to professionals and researchers working towards the future of healthcare technology.

All presented material can be obtained here.

Machine Learning, Neural Networks and Hands-on

Time

Speaker

Title

Syllabus

1^st Day: Monday 17^th of February 2025

Suite5

Dr. Minas Pertselakis

Machine Learning (ML): Common methods and techniques

· Most commonly used algorithms, history, and evolution

· Types of ML: Supervised, Unsupervised, Reinforcement Learning

· Hyperparameter fine-tuning

· Introduction to Python and relevant libraries (e.g., scikit-learn)

· Interesting Use Cases from Projects

Suite5

Mr. Giorgos Raptis

Deep Learning and Neural Networks

· The basics of neural networks: layers, activation functions, backpropagation

· Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for image data

· Advanced models

· Introduction to relevant python libraries (e.g. tensorflow keras)

Suite5

Dr. Minas Pertselakis

Hands-on with ML/DL in a Notebook Environment (1/2)

· Guided exercises on a chosen ML task (e.g., classification, regression)

· Data exploration, preprocessing, and feature engineering

· Model training, testing and evaluation

· Experimentation with different algorithms and hyperparameters (tuning)

Suite5

Mr. Giorgos Raptis

Hands-on with ML/DL in a Notebook Environment (2/2)

· Guided exercises on a chosen ML task (e.g., classification, regression)

· Data exploration, preprocessing, and feature engineering

· Model training, testing and evaluation

· Experimentation with different algorithms and hyperparameters (tuning)

Blockchain and Security Fundamentals

Time

Speaker

Title

Syllabus

2^nd Day: Tuesday 18th of February 2025

NKUA

Prof. Thanasis Papaioannou

Sponsoring Project: NGI TrustChain

Blockchain Fundamentals (1/2)

· Introduction to Blockchain Technology

· Definition, key characteristics (decentralization, transparency, immutability).

· Historical evolution (from Bitcoin to modern systems).

· Components of a Blockchain

· Nodes, transactions, blocks, consensus mechanisms.

· Public vs. Private Blockchains

· Differences, examples, and use cases.

· Blockchain trilemma

NKUA

Prof. Thanasis Papaioannou

Blockchain Platforms and Ecosystems

· Bitcoin

˗ Key features, scripting language.

· Ethereum

˗ Smart contracts, ERC standards, Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).

· Other Platforms

˗ Hyperledger Fabric, Solana, Cardano.

· Blockchain Interoperability

˗ Cross-chain solutions and bridges.

· Advanced operations

· Sharding, state channels, oracles

University of Piraeus

Mr. Aggelos Sideris

Sponsoring Project CHRISS

Blockchain Fundamentals (2/2)

· Introduction to Blockchain Technology

· Definition, key characteristics (decentralization, transparency, immutability).

· Historical evolution (from Bitcoin to modern systems).

· Components of a Blockchain

· Nodes, transactions, blocks, consensus mechanisms.

· Public vs. Private Blockchains

˗ Differences, examples, and use cases.

o Blockchain trilemma

University of Piraeus

Mr. Anastasios Voudouris

Sponsoring Project ERATOSTHENES

Cryptographic Foundations

· Core Cryptographic Concepts

˗ Hashing

˗ Public and private key cryptography.

˗ Digital signatures.

· Merkle Trees

˗ Structure, purpose in blockchains.

˗ Security Challenges

Security and Blockchain for Healthcare 4.0

Time

Speaker

Title

Syllabus

3^rd Day: Wednesday 19th of February 2025

NKUA

Prof. Thanasis Papaioannou

Prof. Dionysis Xenakis

Consensus Mechanisms

· Proof of Work (PoW)

˗ Mechanism, energy concerns, and mining.

· Proof of Stake (PoS) and Variants

˗ Staking mechanics,

˗ Delegated PoS, Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT).

· Emerging Consensus Mechanisms

˗ Proof of Authority (PoA), Proof of Space and Time, etc.

· Comparative Analysis

˗ Strengths, weaknesses, and use-case suitability.

NKUA

Prof. Thanasis Papaioannou

Smart Contracts (1/2)

· What are Smart Contracts?

˗ Definition, characteristics, execution.

· Smart Contract Development

˗ Tools: Solidity.

˗ Hands-on: Write and deploy a basic contract.

· Common Vulnerabilities

· Reentrancy, integer overflow, gas limit issues

University of Piraeus

Mr. Aggelos Sideris

Sponsoring Project: CHRISS

Smart Contracts (2/2)

· What are Smart Contracts?

˗ Definition, characteristics, execution.

· Smart Contract Development

˗ Tools: Solidity.

˗ Hands-on: Write and deploy a basic contract.

· Common Vulnerabilities

˗ Reentrancy, integer overflow, gas limit issues

NKUA

Prof. Thanasis Papaioannou

Prof. Dionysis Xenakis

Blockchain Applications

· Healthcare

· Supply Chain

· Decentralized Finance

· Telecoms / Content Sharing

· Other applications

University of Piraeus

Mr. Anastasios Voudouris

Sponsoring Project:

AIAS

Blockchain and Research

· State-of-the-Art Research Topics

˗ Privacy-preserving technologies (zk-SNARKs, zk-STARKs).

˗ Multiparty computation

˗ Game theory

· Open Challenges

· Opportunities for Innovation

· Identifying gaps for academic contributions

Graph ML and Reinforcement Learning

Time

Speaker

Title

Syllabus

4^th Day: Thursday 20th of February 2025

Suite5

Mr. Panagiotis Chronopoulos

Graph Deep Learning

· The basics of Graph Machine Learning, how and when it can be applied.

· Introduction to Graph Neural Networks

· Introduction to relevant python libraries

Suite5

Mr. Panagiotis Chronopoulos

Hands-on with Graph NN in a Notebook Environment (1/2)

· Guided exercises on a chosen Graph NN task

· Simulated environment creation

· Model training, testing and evaluation

Suite5

Dr. Minas

Pertselakis

Reinforcement Learning and Optimization

· The basics of RL, how and when it can be applied.

· Introduction to relevant python libraries (e.g. stable_baselines3, gym)

· Using Reinforcement Learning and Model optimisation in projects

Suite5

Dr. Minas

Pertselakis

Hands-on with RL in a Notebook Environment (2/2)

· Guided exercises on a chosen RL/FL optimization task

· Simulated environment creation

· Model training, testing and evaluation

Explainable AI and Applications to Healthcare

Time

Speaker

Title

Syllabus

5^th Day: Friday 21^st of February 2025

Suite5

Ms. Erifili Ichtiaroglou

Methods and Techniques for Explainable AI

· Explainability techniques: LIME, SHAP, feature importance

· Introduction to relevant libraries.

· The use of XAI in different projects

· Open discussion on the future of XAI in Healthcare

Suite5

Ms. Erifili Ichtiaroglou

Hands-on XAI in a Notebook Environment

· Guided exercises on a chosen ML task (e.g., classification, regression)

· Data exploration, preprocessing, and feature engineering

· Model training, testing and evaluation

· Experimentation with different algorithms and hyperparameters (tuning)

1st & 2nd Schools

From November 18 to November 22, 2024, Stichting Amsterdam UMC (AUMC) hosted two training activities, Schools 1 & 2, at Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The first School, entitled “Healthcare 4.0: Challenges and opportunities”, provided essential training on requirements, main challenges, and enabling technologies in Healthcare 4.0, including secure information handling, data analytics, AI in healthcare, and challenges related to the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). The second School, entitled “3GPP architecture and introduction to the 6G enabling technologies towards Healthcare 4.0”, focused on the architecture of 3GPP, 6G requirements, technology enablers, and sustainability considerations for 6G networks that support Healthcare 4.0.

Both schools, delivered by our academic and industrial partners alongside invited experts, offered valuable skills to professionals and researchers working towards the future of healthcare technology.

All presented material can be obtained here.

1^st School: Healthcare 4.0: Challenges and opportunities

Date	Speaker	Title	Syllabus
Monday 18^th of November 2024	AUMC Prof. Henk Marquering & Dr. Praneeta Konduri	Requirements, main challenges and enabling technologies in Healthcare 4.0	What is healthcare 4.0? How does it differ from previous versions - evolution. Elements of Healthcare 4.0; AI, DTs, IoT, Robotics Aims and of objectives of Healthcare 4.0 How did Healthcare 4.0 change stroke care? Assignments: role of ICT in Healthcare 4.0
Monday 18^th of November 2024	TU Delft Dr. Marcela Tuler	Secure information handling and ubiquitous access to the healthcare services	Privacy and Security in Healthcare 4.0. Secure information exchange. Privacy enhancing techniques. Blockchain in healthcare
Tuesday 19^th of November 2024	SUIT Dr. Minas Pertselakis	Data analytics and AI in healthcare	What type of problems in healthcare can AI solve? What restrictions does GDPR bring to the table? Data analytics: descriptive vs predictive, AI vs Machine learning. Examples. Explainable AI in healthcare
Tuesday 19^th of November 2024	MCS Mr. Sai Chintha	Challenges of IoMT and the way forward	IoMT and the MCS ecosystem Challenges in IoMT AI and Data in Healthcare
Wednesday 20^th of November 2024	MCS Mr. Sai Chintha	Challenges of IoMT and the way forward	Data privacy methods Low energy computing An application of AI for Pain estimation
	CHAR Prof. Andreas Pfeiffer (online)	Prognostic and diagnostic tests for diabetes	Definition and Diagnostic criteria Background: How is blood sugar regulated? Pathological impact – why is dysregulated blood sugar a problem Impact of Diabetes mellitus worldwide on healthcare systems Use of wearables and digital devices in diabetes diagnostics and management – continuous glucose monitoring Therapy – (and why do so many people want to take diabetes therapeutics?)
	AUMC Dr. Dave Bouman	Connected ambulance	What is a connected ambulance? Role of ICT in connected ambulance.

2^nd School: 3GPP architecture and introduction to the 6G enabling technologies towards Healthcare 4.0

Date

Speaker

Title

Syllabus

Wednesday 20^th of November 2024

ORAN

Dr. Lechoslaw Tomaszewski

3GPP architecture, its main components and path to 6G

Fundamentals of mobile networks
Evolution from 1G to 5G
3GPP – how to search, read, and understand their documents; 3-stage standardization process; approach to releases
3GPP 5G System – fundamental underlying pradigms
3GPP 5G System – architecture, network functions, focus on Control Plane
3GPP 5G System – User Plane and how the QoS is provided
3GPP 5G System – procedures: fundamental ones, how to read and understand system procedures
3GPP 5G System – a bit about RAN (bands and their propagation/capacity characteristics, time/frequency multiplexing + “channelisation” in 5G, uplink/downlink, interference management, antenna systems – SISO/MISO/SIMO/MIMO, softwarisation + O-RAN and RAN splits)
3GPP 5G System – what went wrong: drawbacks, wrong choices, gaps – why we are looking forward to having 6G?

Date	Speaker	Title	Syllabus
Thursday 21^st of November 2024	AUTH Dr. Agapi Mesodiakaki	6G requirements, technology enablers and challenges	Evolution of the mobile networks (from 0G to 6G) Present and future with numbers 6G service requirements and KPIs/KVIs 6G enabling technologies Challenges Solutions
	NOKIA Dr. Ali Rezaki (online)	Sustainability aspects of 6G networks supporting H4.0	Sustainability terminology, concepts and methodologies, Use case design for value outcomes with target setting, value indicators and assessments, 6G technology enablers for sustainability, From energy efficiency and savings to sustainability outcomes – a systems perspective.
	LIU Prof. Nikolaos Pappas	Semantic communications for massive IoMT	Motivation and current approaches towards semantics-aware goal-oriented communications Measuring timeliness and freshness of information - an introduction to Age of Information (AoI) Semantics beyond AoI Real-time tracking and actuation Applications: Industrial IoT, semantic source coding, and autonomous systems Future outlook of task-oriented and semantics-aware communication and networks

Date	Speaker	Title	Syllabus
Friday 22^nd of November 2024	LU Dr. Konstantinos Ntontin	Introduction to Multiple-Antenna Communications and Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces	Fading channels Diversity combining Beamforming Spatial multiplexing Multi-user multiple-antenna communications Capacity Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces
	AUTH Dr. Marios Gatzianas (online)	Fundamentals of Channel modeling	Mobile radio propagation channel Classification of channel models 3GPP channel models
	HU Dr. Holger Schlingloff (online)	Quality assurance of AI in healthcare	How can we achieve trust in AI solutions which is necessary for healthcare applications? Types of related applications Development of different technologies for the verification and testing of deep learning, different application areas, strengths and limitations. Summarize recent results Directions for further research.