2026 Summer School on Integrated Sensing and Communications: A Sensing Centric Approach

Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) technologies are rapidly reshaping the landscape of future wireless engineering. With applications that span radar systems, remote sensing, signal processing, wireless networks, electromagnetics, antenna design, photonics, and beyond, ISAC is dissolving long-standing boundaries between engineering disciplines. This convergence has sparked renewed interest in both classical and modern signal processing theory, alongside innovative hardware developments.

In recent years, research activity in ISAC has surged: conferences and journals feature a growing number of publications, special sessions, and tutorials, while new technical initiatives continue to emerge across the Signal Processing and Communications communities. An SPS-hosted summer school in 2023 made important progress, but much of the field’s development so far has centred on communication-driven applications, with sensing often treated as a secondary component.

Meanwhile, the AESS and SPS communities have played a leading role in framing ISAC as a spectrum-sharing challenge, publishing one of the earliest dedicated special sections on sensing and communications back in 2019. Today, ISAC is recognised not only as a key enabler for 6G but also as a transformative technology for the design, optimisation, and operation of complex systems across land, air, and space domains.

Against this backdrop, preparing the next generation of researchers and engineers is essential. This summer school takes an AESS-centric perspective, offering participants a deep dive into ISAC use cases, architectures, and algorithms. The programme will illuminate both the shared foundations and the crucial distinctions between sensing and communication from design and operational viewpoints. The aim will be to equip attendees with the knowledge and insight needed to drive future innovation in this rapidly evolving field.

Registration opening early 2026