Our researcher Raül Muñoz, Research Director and Head of Packet Optical Networks and Services at CTTC, represented the FLEX-SCALE consortium in collecting the ETSI Research & Innovation Award in the Publicly Funded Collaborative Projects category, at the EuCNC & 6G Summit held in Málaga on 4 June 2026.
The ETSI R&I Awards were launched to recognise excellence and innovation across the research community, and to acknowledge the impact of research contributions on ETSI standardisation work. This first edition received a large number of high-quality nominations, making the selection process highly competitive.
About FLEX-SCALE and TeraFlowSDN
ETSI SDG TeraFlowSDN (TFS) is an independent ETSI open-source initiative developing a cloud-native SDN controller that serves as a reference architecture for transport network automation. FLEX-SCALE’s research on next-generation optical x-haul networks — encompassing fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul technologies — has directly fed into TFS deliverables, significantly increasing their maturity, industrial relevance, and standardisation impact. This recognition is a clear example of how publicly funded research accelerates open-source ecosystem development and bridges the gap between academic innovation and industry-ready solutions.
Learn more about the FLEX-SCALE project nomination at the ETSI website.
CTTC and Hexa-X-II
CTTC is also a partner in Hexa-X-II, the co-awarded project in the same category, represented at the ceremony by Nokia Bell Labs. Hexa-X-II has been recognised for its contributions to pre-6G system design and sustainability-driven standardisation within ETSI TC Environmental Engineering (EE), actively shaping the technical foundations of future wireless systems.
