Anniversary Testimonials
Testimonials
“I am a member of our Radio COST Community since 2013. Joining this group was one of the best decision in my life, both private and professional. I have met here many world famous researchers, which gave me the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with the best. But I have also met here many friends, that remained friends for much longer that only single action period. It is a great honour and pleasure to be a part of Radio COST Community.”
Sławomir J. Ambroziak, Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland
“Proud of and grateful for being part of this COST community on mobile and wireless communications. Let’s get ready for the next forty years!!”
Carles Antón-Haro, CTTC, Spain
“While my relationship with COST actions is rather short in the view of their tradition – I first joined CA15104 (IRACON) as a PhD student – it has been a truly fulfilling one. These actions provided an opportunity to receive valuable feedback for my research, to meet researchers whose work I admire, to visit different European cities and meet different cultures. Most importantly, through these actions I meet magnificent people whom I consider dear friends.”
Kenan Turbic, Fraunhofer HHI, Germany
“COST is a successful organization opening the door for all researchers to network and collaborate. I personally got the chance to win a grant to attend the URSI GASS conference 2023.”
Houda Chichi, SupCom, Tunisia
“I want to share two moments of my COST activities, they are both very “personal” and intimate and very closely linked to your institution.
The first one, December 13th 2006… I was at the COST 2100 kickoff in Brussels… I heard an incoming SMS notification… it was from Lucio Ferreira, and I still remember the text even though that message is lost forever: “Nesta noite mágica nasceu a nossa Aurora” (his first daughter, as you surely know).
The second moment is this picture which was took in Malaga in February 2013… I call this photo “Men in black” like the film… and when I see Michal… oh my God I still can’t believe what happened to him some time later.”
Paolo Grazioso, Fondazione Ugo Bordoni, Italy
“I joined COST-273 contributing to mobile and wireless channels ever since and continuously encouraging others to join.
This is as much about science and technology, as it is about community building, knowhow transfer, coaching and competition, and, maybe, most importantly: cultural diversity.
I found best friends here. The common goals unite us.”
Christoph Mecklenbräuker, TU Wien, Austria
“What comes to my mind when thinking of this series of COST Actions is their incredible stability i’ve participated from COST 273 to COST IC1004, i.e. for not far from 15 years overall, and I still see the ongoing organization of meetings, schools, workshops, papers, STSMs and so on.
People are changing but many also keep being active over several successive Actions. All this is in spite of the recurrent administrative load and the need to always justify the existence of each Action and win competitive calls.
So, good luck for the current and for the next Actions, hoping that the spirit and the momentum will be maintained!”
Alain Sibille, Telecom Paris (Institut Polytechnique de Paris), France
“I have been participating in COST since action 259. At the time my professor, Gabriele Falciasecca, used to insist that this “COST” was very important. Only now, after so many years, I understand how right he was. Thanks to COST I met many colleagues and friends and almost all the most important collaborations of my career began from there.
Not only that, through COST I had the opportunity to travel and get to know Europe. After a few years away, even though I was in a beautiful place, California, I returned to Europe, my home. And now more than ever I understand that it has a soul, a meaning. A large part of this soul, for me, is represented by COST”
Vittorio Degli Esposti, Unibo, Italy
“COST Actions are undoubtably the best tool to improve the results of your research and to network with colleagues. The best memories that I have come from the many technical discussions I had with colleagues in an environment so open and frank that it’s only possible when a friendly and trustful relationship exists with them.
In addition, seeing new colleagues, especially students, start participating in every meeting is a reward that justifies the time spent dealing with the organisation of an Action and all its bureaucracy.”
Luis M. Correia, IST / Univ. Lisbon, Portugal & Chair COST 259 and 273
“From my first presentation to the WG1, to my first question at a plenary session, to my first speech at a gala dinner, it’s impossible for me to single out a particular moment, because these Actions have seen me grow in my professional life.
But what amazes me when I think about it is the richness of the encounters, the kindness and the resourcefulness each time I take part in a meeting.”
Laurent Clavier, IMT Lille, France & Chair COST CA20120 INTERACT
“After COST207, that was founded by “GSM enthusiasts”, I saw later Actions on Wireless Communications develop a stabile critical mass of participants from academia, industry, and governmental institutions. Although people come and go, that critical mass is conserved up to today.
To illustrate the specific atmosphere of this community, I give two quotes that struck me. Henry Bertoni from New York visiting a COST meeting some 15 years ago was amazed both by the composition of the participation, from PhD. students to professors and team leaders close to retirement and the variety of disciplines, and by the openness of the discussions: “Not available in the US and likely impossible there“. Ernst Bonek, a former Working Group chairmen formulated it somewhat later as follows: “In EU projects, you are partners, here in COST you are colleagues“.
To me, this summarises the de facto Network-of-Excellence in Wireless Communications based in Europe.”
Wim Kotterman, TU Ilmenau, Germany
“Being the Chairperson of a COST Action on mobile communications that collects the interests of more than 500 researchers, more than 100 institutions, gives you the feeling to steer the future of mobile.
Nonetheless, my best COST memories are the talks in the corridors, during the breaks, with the younger researchers, the PhD students making questions asking suggestions regarding their future.”
Roberto Verdone, Univ. Bologna, Italy & Chair COST 2100
“Meeting so many different people, from different countries and cultures, is definitely a collective memory that is hard to forget.
Slow science is required, and this is where COST Actions should step in”.
Claude Oestges, Univ. Catholique Louvain, Belgium & Chair COST CA15104 IRACON
“I entered the COST community in 1995, when I joined COST 231. In my company, I had just been introduced to research on radio propagation. In this group I was soon struck by the inclusive spirit, and I was able to interact with real experts in the field.
Luis Correia quickly included me in the group, and now I have become a ‘Costoholics’ together with many others. I have also been fortunate to get to meet many great experts in wireless communications. They have learned me a lot on the way.
Later, my involvement and contributions to the COST actions have been variable, but I still have the feeling of ‘getting home’ when I come to the new meetings.”
Per H Lehne, Telenor R&I, Norway
“I joined COST family in winter 1990 attending a specific WG2 (Propagation) meeting in a snowy Darmstadt, with the objective to define both the indoor and microcell COST 231 propagation models. I have to confess that I was not prepared for such a cold weather but I was not prepared either for the warm welcome by COST people.
Since minute zero we started working in small groups thanks to Dr. Lorenz organization capability, and sharing our knowledge.
Also with time to have a lot of fun and – let’s say – some beers. Since that moment I felt in love with COST Actions. Many years later I realized that I was the first and unique woman writing in the COST 231 final book.“
Silvia Ruiz Boqué, Head of WiComTec research group, UPC, Spain
“In my very first day in a COST meeting in 1993, I was a Ph.D. student without any support attending for the first time a meeting in which I knew nobody. In minutes, I was integrated in the group and my work listened to as if I were a Senior Professor.
That’s the COST spirit, and this is why I never step down from the Actions. The last day being a Chair, I looked what we had achieved, enrolling in the Action a record number of companies and institutions from many countries in Europe and worldwide and so I knew the efforts had been rewarding just for that.”
Narcis Cardona, Univ. Polytech. Valencia, Spain & Chair COST IC1004
“I have joined the COST community at the beginning of 2017. It was a new and different experience to have a possibility to present and discuss ongoing research works, not only the finalized and published ones.
Each COST action meeting is a chance to talk with scientists of all the radio communication disciplines and freely exchange the experience, also using a nonverbal scientific language during the working group sessions.”
Piotr Rajchowski, Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland
“Being part of the COST community has been for me a wonderful professional and life experience! The networking and collaboration within COST actions are truly an enduring value for a researcher.”
Gordana Gardašević, University of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
“I joined my first COST meeting at the beginning of my career devoted to wireless communications for transports and particularly for Railways (I think it was COST207!) and it was always a great pleasure and great scientific resourcing to attend the COST meetings.
I also always encouraged my PhD students and young post-doc to take part to the COST actions and particularly the wonderful summer schools organized.
I wish all the best for the present and future COST actions!It is a wonderful way of scientific collaborations”
Marion Berbineau, Reseach Diretor at Université Gustave Eiffel, France
“I have joined COST273 in 2001 during my PhD program, under the guidance of my supervisor, who assured me that COST was really something different. And he was absolutely right! COST is not just a project; it’s a large community of researchers overflowing with knowledge. It’s almost surreal to believe that we are genuinely contributing to and sharing this wealth of expertise.
Beyond its academic value, COST is much more than just a path for the technical and personal growth; it’s a family. I had the privilege of meeting incredible people and making genuine friendships.
I want to express my gratitude to all my COST colleagues for welcoming me into this family. It has been an enriching experience, and I look forward to meet them across the globe for many years to come!
Thank you for making COST an integral part of my journey!”
Filipe D. Cardoso, Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Portugal
“The COST Actions from COST 207, 231, 259, 273, 2100, IC1004, CA15104 to CA20120, have sustained their appeal to young and … experienced 😉 researchers from academia, vendors and operators. Going from digital, personal, flexible, broadband, pervasive, green, inclusive to intelligence-enabling, these COSTs contributed to improve mobile radio communications … which in good hands make for a better world! It has been a pleasure and an honor to represent Switzerland since COST259 and being able to contribute, I hope, to the friendly and constructive atmosphere I felt at each meeting. Thanks to the diversity and quality of many contributions, it has been and will, for sure, be very rewarding to discuss with passionates about mobile and wireless communications.
I hope that human intelligence will shape AI tol become trustworthy and useful to quantify the ”reasonable” agreements we seek between our models and measurements. As I retire, my thanks and best wishes go to all of you: mobile COST Colleagues.”
Jean Frédéric Wagen, HES-SO // HEIA-FR, Switzerland
“I started with COST 259. Coming from eastern Germany, I enjoyed the open borders and the open-minded discussion of scientific ideas. I found friends and colleagues between Lisbon and Poznan, Valencia and Oulu. I received ideas, got inspirations, and earned appreciation.
Thank you all!
I have not received much money. But every cent spent by the EU pays for itself many times over in the form of mutual understanding, cooperation, and networking. In terms of resource efficiency, COST has been very COSTefficient!”
Reiner Thomä, TU Ilmenau, Germany
“I have had the privilege to participate in COST since June 1991, when I attended my first COST 231 meeting in Lund as a young Ph. D. student. Since then I enjoyed the special spirit of COST meetings.
Participating in COST has been relevant to be part of the evolution of wireless standards and build up my technical expertise. But even more important, it has been essential to help creating my surtainable professional network in the wireless community”.
Thomas Kürner, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany
“My first experience with this series of COST Actions was the COST 2100 meeting in Duisburg in September 2007 (while more frequent participation from COST IC1004).
Since then I have been convinced, and made TNO’s management also convinced, that it’s a great platform to get connected and updated of the research progress in wireless communication. You get opportunities to meet and share knowledge with experts from all over the Europe and internationally, discuss new ideas and take joint initiatives. In particular, I like the open and relaxed atmosphere at the technical sessions, breaks and social dinners.
Looking forward to more fruitful collaboration during the rest of INTERACT and for sure also the following COST Actions in this series.”
Haibin Zhang, TNO, The Netherlands
“I’ve been part of the COST Wireless community for what has undoubtedly been the best part of my career – the first meeting I attended was COST 231 in Helsinki in 1992 (though I haven’t quite been at every meeting since then). The influence of this community on my research career has been crucial – for one thing it’s led to joining several EC-funded research programmes – but more importantly, I’ve always gone away from a meeting with new ideas, either on how to advance the research I’ve been presenting, or in a completely new direction. In particular, as a signal processing researcher it’s been really useful to learn about radio propagation, which after all is fundamental to all our work, and (whatever funding agencies may think) always requires further research! It’s also been a tremendous privilege to chair WG1/2 during several Actions.
The meetings we have held in every corner of Europe have certainly helped my understanding and appreciation of our continent, as well as enhancing the cohesion of our community. The number of people still involved in COST after several decades is testament to the importance of the relationships we develop in this community, which makes it so much more valuable than a mere conference series. I’ll be eternally grateful to my many colleagues for their collaboration and their friendship.”
Alister Burr, University of York, UK