The NextGEM project held its last Plenary Meeting, with the objective of polishing the last details before it comes to an end. The project is set to finish next June, and it has advanced at its intended pace at all moments; therefore, this meeting mainly reviewed the last part pending, the case studies NextGEM is undertaking:

• Potential effects of indoor levels of radiofrequency radiation on reproduction and development of vulnerable people
• Optimized outdoor urban planning and 5G design architecture and investigations for public awareness of cancer-related hazards
• Health effects of exposure to mmWave EMF in indoor and outdoor environments

This last meeting was held online.

The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Dutch Authority for Digital Infrastructure (RDI) held a webinar, in which they showcased NextGEM’s guidelines for communicating about RF-EMF. It gathered 94 simultaneous participants in a successful event, aiming to close the gap between scientific knowledge and citizens’ concerns about 5G.

On average, European citizens believe 5G exposure is higher than it really is. Real exposure campaigns show that overall RF-EMF exposure levels remain below the limits. One of NextGEM’s goals is to share the scientific knowledge generated within the project with policymakers and the general public. For that reason, and in the context of this webinar, new factsheets are to be published soon.

As Europe rapidly advances toward the widespread adoption of 5G technology, many people wonder whether this new technology is increasing our everyday exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF‑EMFs). The second policy brief from the EMF and Health Cluster (CLUE‑H) tackles this question and brings together evidence gathered from four Horizon Europe projects: ETAIN, GOLIAT, SEAWave, and NextGEM.

Across more than ten European countries, researchers carried out large-scale measurement campaigns in real environments: city centres, rural areas, public transport, shopping centres, events and more. They looked at different types of exposure:

• Environmental “background” exposure from base stations (called downlink).
• Extra downlink exposure when users generate high traffic and attract focused beams.
• Uplink exposure from people’s own devices when calling, streaming or uploading.
• Involuntary exposure from other people’s nearby devices in crowded places.

NextGEM focused in particular on measurements in both sub‑6 GHz (FR1) and millimetre-wave (FR2) bands, using body‑worn sensors and advanced analysis tools in realistic 5G scenarios.

What do the data say about 5G?

The results are consistent across the CLUE‑H projects:

• Environmental RF‑EMF levels are substantially below the limits set in European recommendations and ICNIRP guidelines.
• Large-scale measurements have not found noticeable increases in environmental exposure linked specifically to the introduction of 5G in FR1.
• Deployment of 5G in FR2 (mmWave) is still limited in Europe, and measured levels in the studied sites are also well below international limits.

The research confirms that a large share of a person’s total daily exposure comes from how long they use the phone and how close it is to the body. In areas with better network quality, phones can transmit with lower power, which reduces this personal component of exposure.

Perception vs. measurement

CLUE‑H surveyed people in ten countries about how they perceive RF‑EMF exposure. Most respondents believe that 5G increases their daily exposure and that 5G video calls cause more exposure than the same activity over 4G or Wi‑Fi. This perceived increase is stronger in some countries than in others.

However, the measurement campaigns show a different picture: while exposure patterns are becoming more dynamic with technologies like beamforming and massive MIMO, overall levels remain low and within existing safety limits. This gap between perception and measurement underlines the need for clear, transparent communication about how exposure is assessed and regulated.

NextGEM will continue contributing data, tools and expertise to this joint effort, helping to ensure that future wireless networks are designed and deployed with both performance and health protection in mind.

Read the whole policy brief

More news

• Release of the NIKH
• NextGEM participated in the Clue-H Workshop on 5G ethics
• Does EMF exposure pose a risk to human health? Exploring three NextGEM studies

NIKH has been released!

The 5th NextGEM newsletter is here! Top highlights include the release of the NIKH, a recap of our 8th plenary meeting in Budapest, links to our latest exposure observations posted on our YouTube channel and a list of all approved public deliverables to-date.

Click on the image to read it!

NextGEM partners held the 8th Project Meeting in Budapest (Hungary) on 15-16 October 2025. Representatives of all 22 institutions gathered for the 8th meeting of the project, which is coming to an end this academic year.

Most of the research lines have finished in the last months or are nearing the end. In this meeting, partners put together the results, most of which are to be used for the last part of the project, the Case Studios, which are:

1. Reproductive Health & Vulnerable Populations
2. EMF & Cancer Risks in Urban Settings
3. Blood Response to EMF in Daily Life

The NIKH portal has been released

Another milestone that was brought to the table was the release of the the NextGEM Innovation and Knowledge Hub (NIKH). The NIKH is designed to provide comprehensive access to scientific knowledge on radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure and its potential impacts on health. It serves as a trusted environment for European regulatory authorities, the scientific community, industry stakeholders, and citizens, offering a standardized way to store, manage, and assess project outcomes, while ensuring compliance with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles.

About NextGEM

NextGEM is a four-year EU-funded project aiming to generate relevant knowledge that identifies appropriate control measures for EMF exposure. The project is about to enter its last year and is producing evidence-based insights to inform regulatory decisions on the implementation of the 5G technology, all of which promote confidence in the safety standards governing EMF exposure.

NextGEM is part of the EMF and Health Cluster (Clue-H), a network studying different approaches to the possible effects of EMF on health. This cluster involves four European Consortia (NextGEM, GOLIAT, SeaWave and ETAIN) with additional contributions from scientists outside the EU.

More news

• NextGEM holds its 7th Plenary Meeting in Larnaca
• Release of the NIKH
• NextGEM flyer: From Research to Impact

Check out the last NextGEM flyer, in a triptych format. In this leaflet, we provide an overview of the workflow the consortium follows to dive into the question whether EMF have any effect on human health.

Check it out here!

More communication material

• Brochures and flyers
• Newsletters and Press Releases
• Flyer: What is NextGEM?

The NextGEM project has received international recognition this summer, with two research teams winning prestigious awards at major scientific conferences for their innovative studies on electromagnetic fields (EMF) and health.

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Honourable Mention Award at IEEE IWEM 2025

At the IEEE International Workshop on Electromagnetics Applications and Student Innovation Competition (IWEM 2025), held from 4–6 August in Hong Kong, a NextGEM research team received an Honourable Mention Award for their paper “Computational Human Skin Model for 5G Electromagnetic Field Exposure Studies.”

The NextGEM team of Ruben Otin, Eduardo Soudah (CIMNE), Gaetano Chirico, Fulvio Schettino (University of Cassino and Southern Lazio), and Noa Betzalel (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) received an Honourable Mention Award for their paper “Computational Human Skin Model for 5G Electromagnetic Field Exposure Studies.”

Abstract of the Awarded Work
This study examines human exposure to electromagnetic (EM) fields in the 5G Frequency Range 1 (FR1: 410 MHz – 7125 MHz) and Frequency Range 2 (FR2: 24.25 GHz – 52.6 GHz). Due to the strong attenuation of EM fields within the body at FR2, the focus is on the skin, where most energy is absorbed. For comparison, FR1 is also analysed. A multi-layer skin model is exposed to EM fields at 700 MHz, 3.5 GHz, and 26 GHz to evaluate the electric field distribution and Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) across the different skin layers. Simulations were performed using the finite element method in the frequency domain implemented in the open-source software ERMES 20.0 and cross-verified with a commercial software tool. The results of the analysis will be used in experiments inside the EU project NextGEM to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of 5G-related EM exposure and its potential implications for human health.

Alexandre Legros Award at BioEM 2025

Earlier in the summer, at the BioElectromagnetics Conference 2025 (BioEM 2025), held from 22–27 June in Rennes, France, another NextGEM team was awarded the Alexandre Legros Award for their study “Umbrella Review of RF-EMF Exposure from Far-Field Sources and Cancer in Humans.”

The team consisted of Joshua Ziegler, Daniel Wollschläger (IMBEI), Dan Baaken (BFS), Maarten Velghe, Kelly Rijs (RIVM), Nikolaos Petroulakis, Alexandros Kornilakis (FORTH), Roya Dolatkhah, and Isabelle Deltour (IARC).

Abstract of the Awarded Work
Exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF; 100 kHz–300 GHz) is widespread, and cancer remains a key concern identified by the World Health Organization. This umbrella review synthesises evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses of human observational studies on far-field RF-EMF exposure and cancer published up to May 2024. Eight systematic reviews were identified: five reported limited evidence of cancer risk, two suggested increased risks, and one was inconclusive. However, all reviews demonstrated substantial risk of bias, methodological shortcomings, and incomplete reporting, which limited the reliability of their conclusions. The findings highlight the need for more rigorous methodologies, standardised protocols, and higher-quality data to strengthen the evidence base on the relationship between RF-EMF exposure and cancer.

More information on the award can be found on the BioEM 2025 website.

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Recognition for NextGEM’s Scientific Excellence

These two prizes underscore the scientific impact and innovation of the NextGEM consortium in advancing the state of knowledge on EMF exposure and health. By combining rigorous epidemiological evidence with advanced computational modeling, NextGEM continues to strengthen the evidence base supporting safe and trustworthy 5G and future networks. wins prizes for sers

The 4th NextGEM newsletter is here. Since late 2024, a new NextGEM partner joined the consortium, some project partners have attended the BioEM 2025, and others participated in the Clue-H Workshop on 5G ethics, among others. Also, 6 new papers have been published.

Now, you can see the most important news of the NextGEM Project during this last semester in our latest newsletter.

Click on the image to read it!

Strong presence of NextGEM in the BioEM 2025

NextGEM partners played an important role in the new edition of the BioEM Conference. Worldwide EMF experts attended the 2025 edition in Rennes, France, from June 22^nd to 27^th. The conference is set up annually by the BioEM society, “an independent organisation of biological and physical scientists, physicians and engineers interested in the interactions of electromagnetic fields with biological systems.”

BioEM is the world’s largest and most prestigious bioelectromagnetics conference. The Society’s annual conference attracts academic and industrial participants from all over the world at all career stages. Attendees have an excellent opportunity to engage with other professionals in this field and share the latest updates in this topic’s research. This was a great opportunity for many NextGEM partners, as this project intrinsically relates to the conference’s main objectives.

The consortium’s partners showcased 7 posters, presented 3 oral presentations, hosted 2 oral sessions, and participated in 2 workshops. See all participations here!

Posters:

• Olga Zeni – Radiofrequency, LTE signal exposure does not alter cancer-related endpoints in human neuroblastoma cell model either alone, or in combination with WiFi signal or menadione
• Stefania Romeo (CNR) – A multi-physics analysis of electroporation phenomenon in A375 human melanoma cells: an in vitro and computational study
• Maryse Ledent (SC) – Electromagnetic field sensitivity, symptoms and perceived health: a mediation and moderation analysis
• Fulvio Schettino (UCAS) – A novel RF exposure system for live cell imaging in real time under confocal microscopy: a preliminary design
• Seppe Segers (SC) – A whole-transcriptome approach to determine the effects of 5G-modulated RF-EMF exposure in keratinocytes
• Maryse Ledent (SC) – Moderating effect of sensory processing sensitivity on the relationship of electrohypersensitivity on anxiety and depressive disorders
• Marco Spirito (TUD) – Reduction of body effect RF EMF sensor with back reflector

Oral sessions:

• Joshua Ziegler (IMBEI, with the collaboration of IARC, BFS, FORTH, and RIVM): Umbrella review of RF-EMF exposure from far-field sources and cancer in humans
  • Thanks to this abstract, Joshua Ziegler obtained the Alexandre Legros award.
• Olga Zeni (CNR): Biological effects of 5G radiofrequency exposure at 26.5 GHz in a human keratinocyte cell model
• Derek Land (THUAS): Low Cost SDRs for RF EMF Exposure Measurements
  • With Erdal Korkmaz, Sam Aerts, & John Bolte as co-authors
• Additionally, two partners acted as Oral Session hosts:
  • Olga Zeni hosted the 8^th Oral Session: Advances in Electromagnetic Stimulation for Neural and Clinical Research
  • Stefania Romeo co-hosted the 15^th Oral Session: Computational and Theoretical Insights into EMF Interaction Mechanisms

Workshops:

• Sam Aerts (THUAS): EMF exposure in telecom networks: past, present, and future, during the 3^rd Tutorial session (5G Exposure assessment)
• Additionally, alongside Rosa Orlacchio, Dr. Aerts was the proposer of the 5^th Workshop: Innovative Applications of Electromagnetics: BioEM Young Scientists Leading the Way

📸 The 4th edition of the BioEM started last Sunday and will continue all this workweek.

1- NextGEM partners gathered during the reception.
2- Olga Zeni during an Oral Session. pic.twitter.com/I8L25GokE2

— NextGEM project (@NextGEM_eu) June 24, 2025

BioEM held the CLUE-H 4th Annual Meeting

Like last year’s edition, the 4th Annual Meeting of the European Research Cluster on EMF and Health (CLUE-H) was held during the BioEM conference. CLUE-H is a cluster that congregates NextGEM and three more EU-funded projects (SeaWave, GOLIAT, and ETAIN) and that “expects to fill the knowledge gaps that exist regarding the impact of wireless technologies on health and the environment.” NextGEM partners participated in the meeting as part of the cluster.

About BioEM

BioEM “was established in 2021 [and] is an independent organisation of biological and physical scientists, physicians and engineers interested in the interactions of electromagnetic fields with biological systems. It is an international society with members from approximately 40 different countries and regions around the world”, says its website. They organise annually “the largest and most significant international conference worldwide in the area of bioelectromagnetics”. NextGEM partners have participated in its conferences since its first edition in 2022.

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