MISSION
MENTOR and Europe’s global communication networks
European Industrial Doctorate (EID) MENTOR which ran from January 2021 until December 2024 provided a world class, advanced, interdisciplinary training programme for six early stage researchers (ESRs). The goal was to train the next generation of engineering and research leaders in multi band optical communications. Our ESRs spent 50% of their three years in academia and 50% in industry, a noteworthy feature of an EID.
The aim of the project was to design the next generation of high-capacity optical networks, a key enabler of the global telecommunication infrastructure. Increasing demand (+ 20 % per year) has required a boost in capacity and calls for operators to reduce the cost per transmitted bit. The search for a solution has lead researchers in the direction of ML techniques. In fact, ML has been the technique of choice to tackle this kind of complex technical problem.
Machine-learning has been the choice technique to solve complex nonlinear technical problems
A great benefit of the training and research provided to the MENTOR Early Stage Researchers was using realistic data, including historical monitored types – provided by the industrial partners – for designing, developing and testing algorithms crucial for real life application.
Thanks to the combination of partners (universities, a system vendor and telecommunication operators), MENTOR represented a unique consortium to facilitate the realistic implementation of ML&AI within the next generation of optical networks.
