The NANCY project has successfully completed its 3-year mission to develop and validate a secure and intelligent Beyond 5G network architecture, through close collaboration among European industry partners, SMEs, and academic institutions—coordinated by the University of Western Macedonia. Combining AI-powered orchestration, quantum-ready security, Blockchain-enabled trust frameworks, and advanced resource management, NANCY developed a comprehensive architecture addressing critical challenges in trust, security, orchestration, energy efficiency, and quantum-resilience for Beyond 5G networks.
Key technical achievements include:
- Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) integration with AI-based Blockchain-RAN (B-RAN) orchestration for dynamic spectrum access, interference management, and service delivery
- AI-powered orchestration for B5G service management and optimization across edge–cloud–RAN domains, featuring self-evolving model repositories and reinforcement learning-based resource allocation that automatically adapts to network conditions.
- Quantum-safe security mechanisms, including post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and quantum key distribution (QKD), which increase protection against emerging threats.
- Blockchain-based distributed security infrastructure enabling trustworthy service exchange, self-sovereign identity for user privacy protection, and immutable transaction records for transparency.
- Advanced resource management through computational offloading, user-centric caching, resource elasticity techniques, and semantic communication schemes that reduce latency and energy consumption.
- Smart pricing and marketplace mechanisms powered by auction theory and game theory, enabling decentralized participation of multiple stakeholders in network service provisioning.
- Self-healing and self-recovery mechanisms for resilient network operations, including anomaly detection frameworks with explainable AI for network security.
The aforementioned outcomes were evaluated and validated across six real-world proof-of-concept testbeds and demonstrations in Greece, Italy, and Spain. Specifically:
- The Greek In-Lab Testbed validated the Micro-Operator concept for extended radio coverage. Also, the NANCY Marketplace enabled efficient inter-operator resource sharing and Blockchain-based service level agreement (SLA) establishment for non-time-critical services.
- The Italian In-Lab Testbed confirmed edge resilience via secure hardware partitioning and AI-driven anomaly detection. Additionally, it demonstrated quantum-safe service authorization using PQC digital signatures.
- The Spanish In-Lab Testbed achieved seamless connectivity through dynamic operator selection and task offloading. Also, semantic communications showcased efficient, privacy-preserving multi-perspective data acquisition for smart urban infrastructures.
- The Italian Massive IoT Demonstrator showcased the prediction of 5G throughput at scale. It also validated quantum-resistant identity management without performance penalties.
- The Spanish Outdoor Demonstrator achieved reliable, low-latency performance in UAV-assisted multi-hop scenarios, demonstrating that UAVs can extend network coverage flexibility without compromising service quality.
- The Greek Outdoor Demonstrator validated the operation of the NANCY architecture in a real outdoor 5G environment, highlighting the orchestration capabilities at the edge in order to offer extended reality applications.
What NANCY offers
NANCY’s outcomes demonstrate how future wireless networks can deliver secure digital services, enhance protection against evolving threats, optimize resource usage, and support demanding applications.
- For Telecom Operators: The developments of NANCY offer greater control over network slicing, AI-driven resource optimization, thereby reducing operational costs and increasing cybersecurity.
- For European Industry and Manufacturers: NANCY delivered a B5G architecture featuring quantum-ready security and open standards to increase interoperability.
- For Citizens and Society: NANCY enables reliable mobile networks with protection for digital identities and energy-efficient connectivity supporting sustainable development.
Scientific and Research Contributions
The aforementioned outcomes were disseminated and demonstrated through the following channels:
- More than 80 scientific publications across peer-reviewed journals and leading conferences, such as IEEE Communications Magazine, IEEE Transactions on Communications, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, IEEE Global Communications Conference, IEEE International Conference on Communications, EuCNC & 6G Summit.
- 13 workshops and special sessions were organized with other EU-funded projects, demonstrating collaboration with industry and research communities.
- Multiple open-access datasets and open-source software components shared via Zenodo, IEEE DataPort, and GitHub.
Dissemination and Stakeholder Engagement
NANCY achieved extensive visibility and impact through coordinated dissemination and communication activities:
- Website and online presence with more than 2.700 visitors, 100 social media posts, and 23 blog posts.
- Public engagement through Demonstrations at European Researchers Night, Science and Technology Week, and major international fairs.
- 27 technical videos explaining the principles and operation of the NANCY components.
- 18 newsletters reaching the research and industry communities with regular project updates and research highlights.
“NANCY has successfully completed its mission to develop a secure and intelligent architecture for future mobile networks through an excellent collaboration among 24 European organizations from 9 countries.”
— Prof. Panagiotis Sarigiannidis, University of Western Macedonia, Greece, Coordinator
“The project achievements demonstrate the power of collaborative innovation among European industry partners, SMEs, and academic & research institutions.”
Dr. Dimitrios Pliatsios, University of Western Macedonia, Greece, Deputy Coordinator
“The technical advancements were successfully validated across six testbeds and demonstrators in Greece, Italy, and Spain. We are also proud to contribute over 80 scientific publications in key venues, as well as open datasets to the research community.”
Assoc. Prof. Thomas Lagkas, University of Western Macedonia / Democritus University of Thrace, Greece, Scientific Coordinator
Stay up to date with NANCY’s results and upcoming demonstrations:
- 🌐Website: https://nancy-project.eu
- 📺Youtube: @nancy-snsju-project
- 💼LinkedIn: @nancy-snsju-project
- 🐦X (Twitter): @NANCY_snsju
- 📘Facebook: @NANCY.SNSJU.Project
NANCY is a Horizon Europe project funded by the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU). NANCY brings together 24 partners from 9 European countries to design a secure, intelligent, and energy-efficient architecture for Beyond 5G (B5G) networks.
The project has received funding from the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 101096456. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or SNS JU. Neither the European Union nor the SNS JU can be held responsible for them.
