The SMARTNESS 2030 Engineering Research Center, supported by FAPESP and Ericsson, inaugurated on Wednesday (3) the SMARTNESS Studio 5G (SS5G), a space dedicated to the experimentation, demonstration, and prototyping of advanced connectivity technologies.
The ceremony took place at the Congregation Hall of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (FEEC) at Unicamp, bringing together researchers from several academic institutions, representatives from Ericsson and NEC, university authorities, and media outlets.
During the event, Prof. Dr. Christian Esteve Rothenberg , PI and director of the CPE SMARTNESS, presented an executive overview of the activities carried out so far, highlighted key results from the Year 2 Scientific Report, and provided an outlook on future plans, with special emphasis on leveraging the new SS5G facilities.
“Today at SMARTNESS we are pushing the limits of 5G with our private network, taking research that was previously carried out in emulated or simulated environments into a real-world setting to contribute to the development of 6G,” says Professor Christian.
Dr. Maria Valeria Marquezini, deputy director of CPE SMARTNESS and Master Researcher responsible for Ericsson’s academic collaborations in Brazil, highlighted the importance of strong industry–academia partnerships.
Prof. Dr. Hugo Figueroa, director of FEEC and coordinator of SMARTNESS and LEMAC partnerships, outlined some of the Center’s strategic objectives. Edvaldo Santos, Vice President of Research, Development, and Innovation at Ericsson Brazil, emphasized the relevance of the research developed at the Center. Dr. Caio Costa Oliveira, representative of the Office of the Vice President for Research (PRP), reinforced PRP’s role in supporting the Center, and Dr. Rodolfo Azevedo, official representative of FAPESP, stressed the importance of research centers like SMARTNESS for advancing science.
Visits and demonstrations
After the official ceremony and ribbon-cutting, participants visited the 5G Studio facilities and attended interactive demonstrations involving private 5G, Edge Computing, AI applied to networks, and solutions for industrial and urban applications.
More than 50 visitors toured the new space and engaged with ongoing research demonstrations. The event marked the beginning of a new phase in the Center’s research infrastructure, reinforcing SMARTNESS as one of Brazil’s leading hubs for 5G and 6G innovation.
Located within the LEMAC laboratory at FEEC–Unicamp, the space aims to accelerate the development of practical use cases and pilot experiments, essential for advancing next-generation mobile networks and preparing highly skilled professionals in emerging technologies.
“The reach of SMARTNESS spans research institutions and the industry, allowing my research to gain depth through the perspectives of multiple specialists,” says PhD candidate Arthur Simas, who conducts research in neuromorphic computing and next-generation networks.
To enable studies like these, the SS5G is equipped with the Ericsson Private 5G (EP5G) network, dedicated to supporting academic research and partnerships within the Center. The SS5G initiative is the result of a collaboration between Unicamp, Ericsson, and NEC in deploying the network solutions. NEC acted as the systems integrator, bringing its expertise in complex networks of varying scales.
The Ericsson EP5G private network represents a major advancement for Unicamp’s innovation ecosystem, offering high-performance, secure, and reliable connectivity for critical applications. With low latency, high data capacity, and full network control, EP5G enables advanced experimentation in Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, autonomous networks, and industrial applications.
As a result, the SMARTNESS Studio 5G becomes a living environment for learning, experimentation, and co-creation — a bridge between today’s 5G and the networks of the 6G future.
Mission
With a total investment of R$ 56 million, the Center aims to place Brazil at the forefront of global technological innovation, strengthening the interaction between science, industry, and society.
“Beyond consolidating itself as a fundamental milestone for research and development, the Laboratory becomes an important bridge between academia and the telecommunications technology sector, opening opportunities for multiple formats of university-industry partnerships,” says Dr. Eduardo Sartori, Technology Transfer and Innovation Manager at SMARTNESS.
SMARTNESS promotes collaboration among researchers, engineers, and companies, driving research that ranges from advanced network infrastructure to new digital applications capable of transforming the connected society.
The Center is the result of a partnership between FAPESP and Ericsson, a global leader in telecommunications, and includes researchers from Unicamp, the University of São Paulo (USP), the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), and more than 15 partner institutions in Brazil, along with international collaborations.
Currently, the Center organizes its activities across five major research lines — NEWTON, DEMIST, C3LA, ADVENTURE, and DisCoNet — addressing topics such as industrial automation, distributed AI, edge computing, and cognitive networks. These lines aim to generate concrete results that will drive the evolution of telecommunications from 5G to 6G by 2030.
Photos:
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