CDT FORT Hosts Ideas Lab II

CDT Fort Hosts Second Ideas Lab to Shape Future Research on Open, Resilient, and Secure Networks

CDT Fort welcomed researchers from Cohort 2, industry partners, and academic colleagues to its second Ideas Lab on Wednesday 28th January at the University of Surrey, a collaborative workshop designed to shape the next wave of research into open, resilient, and secure networks.

Industry representatives from Virgin Media O2, Ericsson, UKTL, Angoka, BAE Systems and Thales joined academics from CSIT at Queen’s University Belfast and the 5G/6G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey for a day of forward‑looking discussion and co‑design with our CDT Fort researchers. Hosted by Dr Katherine Hamilton, the session created a dynamic environment where participants could explore emerging technologies, shifting geopolitical influences, and evolving business needs.

Throughout the day, researchers and partners worked together to identify promising research directions for CDT Fort’s second cohort. The workshop encouraged cross‑sector engagement and sparked lively debate, helping groups shape clear, practical project ideas grounded in real‑world challenges. The event also strengthened relationships across academia and industry, building momentum and shared ownership around future research priorities.

With strong participation and enthusiastic collaboration, the Ideas Lab marked another successful milestone for CDT Fort as it continues to drive innovation in next‑generation network systems.

You can find out more about our Cohort 2 researchers and their selected research themes here.