At the SSD 2026 conference in Sicily, researchers from HTWK Leipzig presented the latest findings in the fields of electrical engineering and information technology
The 23rd International Multi-Conference on Systems, Signals and Devices (SSD) took place in Catania, Sicily, Italy, at the end of March 2026. Following the event held in Monastir, Tunisia, in February 2025, Italy hosted this year’s prestigious conference on current developments in electrical engineering and information technology.
The conference brought together research papers from numerous European countries, including Italy, Tunisia, Portugal, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. From Germany, alongside HTWK Leipzig, the Technical University of Chemnitz, the Technical University of Ilmenau, the Technical University of Darmstadt and Bochum University of Applied Sciences were also represented.
Best Paper Award
Prof. Dr Faouzi Derbel, Vice-Rector for Research and Sustainability and Professor of Smart Diagnostics and Online Monitoring, and Kai Fleuchaus, a doctoral candidate in industry, were in attendance. Both presented the latest research findings from the Smart Diagnostics and Online Monitoring research group. A total of seven papers from this field of research were presented at the conference. One of these papers was awarded third place in the Best Paper Award at the ‘Power Systems & Smart Energies’ conference. The paper in question is entitled ‘Comparative Study of RNN Architectures for Inverter-Based Photovoltaic Power Prediction’. Ms Maissa Taktak, a PhD student in Prof. Derbel’s team, played a key role in the publication as a co-author.
The hybrid event format also enabled other PhD students from the professorship to take part and present their work. In this way, a broad spectrum of current research topics from Leipzig was presented on the international stage.
Practical PhD programme presented
Kai Fleuchaus presented his research findings on site as part of his industry PhD, which has been running since 2025. His research project focuses on the development and validation of an automated, multi-criteria optimisation tool for strategic medium-voltage grid planning. The PhD is being carried out as part of the Pro.Motion programme in cooperation with Netz Leipzig GmbH and aims to develop methods for automated target network planning in urban areas.
Research projects presented
During the conference, Prof. Derbel presented various research projects undertaken by HTWK Leipzig in the fields of electrical engineering and information technology. The long-standing collaboration between HTWK Leipzig and the Tunisian university ENETCOM in Sfax was also highlighted. This includes, amongst other things, exchange programmes, through which more than 130 students have been supported since 2013.
In addition to the academic exchange, the conference also provided an opportunity for further networking with international partners and for discussing future challenges in research and application.
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