EVENTS Summer School successfully took place at the Amalia Hotel in Athens, Greece, on 18–19 September 2025, co-organised by I-SENSE Group/ICCS and SEAbility Ltd, with support from the SYNERGIES project.
The EVENTS Summer School was designed to promote inclusive participation and broaden engagement in the scientific and technical fields of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs). This initiative particularly encouraged the involvement of any interested stakeholder, with a strong focus on empowering women participation in research and innovation thematic areas, covered by EVENTS.
Two dynamic days of learning, collaboration, and connection—all set against the vibrant backdrop of one of Europe’s most iconic cities.
The event brought together students, early-career researchers, professionals, and educators eager to explore the fast-evolving field of Cooperative, Connected, and Automated Mobility (CCAM).
🗓️ The Full agenda of the event is available here!
Designed to broaden inclusive participation in Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) and Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM), the two-day programme combined expert talks, case studies and a hands-on CCAM Evaluation Workshop.
Highlights of day 1 included a keynote on lane-free, signal-free intersections (Markos Papageorgiou); sessions on rare-event detection in Hi-Drive (Marcel Sonntag), AD/ADAS contributions (Massimiliano Lenardi), V2X-enabled motion prediction (Javier Araluce Ruiz), the AI-driven resurgence of radar (Andras Palffy) and FRODDO approaches to adaptable, secure ODDs (Nikos Tsampieris), plus a liaison presentation from SYNERGIES.
For the first time, a dedicated panel with women professionals in CCAM highlighted the important relationship between gender and work, moderated by Dr. Anastasia Bolovinou, Technical Coordinator of the CCAM division at I-SENSE Group of ICCS & Ms. Despoina Kaneti, Senior Researcher in Social Innovation, Social Impact, Gender Equality, Gender and Intersectionality at I-SENSE Group of ICCS, added a powerful dimension to the conversations. The “Voices of Innovation: Women in Automated Mobility Technologies” roumd table panel discussion was more than just a spotlight on women in Automated Mobility Technologies — it was about recognizing the rich intersectionality that shapes this industry (as of course all industries).
The Panel consisted of:
– Dr. Johanna Tzanidaki, Chief Innovation Officer, AYA Consulting
– Dr. Elena Daskalaki, SYNERGIES Project Manager
– Dr. Kirsty Aquilina, Data Scientist at Aptiv
– Dr. Marina Georgiou, Project Manager at Netcompany-Intrasoft (representative of SOTERIA project)
– Ms. Valentina Donzella, Professor at Queen Mary University of London
– Ms. Satu Innamaa, Principal Scientist at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd
Day 2 delivered a two-part, hands-on CCAM Evaluation Workshop, conducted by Marcel Sonntag, Group Leader Safety Assurance and Effectiveness of Institute for Automotive Engineering at RWTH Aachen University & Satu Innamaa, Principal Scientist at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, towards translating methods, metrics, and safety-assurance practices into practical evaluation workflows.
🎥 Relive the highlights in the video here!
