IMDEA Networks hosted ICNP 2020

IEEE International Conference on Network Protocols (ICNP) is the premier event covering all aspects of network protocol research, including design, analysis, specification, verification, implementation, and performance

23 October 2020

IEEE ICNP 2020 met on October 13 to 16. For the first time in its 28-year history, the conference was held in Spain. Originally envisioned as an exclusively in-person event, ICNP 2020 changed its format to hybrid in response to the coronavirus epidemic and after consulting with the ICNP research community. The second epidemic wave peaked in the country around the early registration deadline and further shifted the balance towards virtual participation. Overall, ICNP 2020 received 160 registrations. 151 registrants from 20 countries participated online only. The USA and China contributed the largest participation by 61 and 34 researchers respectively. Adhering to the best infection-prevention practices, 9 Madrid-based registrants attended the event in person on the premises of IMDEA Networks Institute. The welcome reception, banquet, and organizing-committee dinner of ICNP 2020 took place in Madrid restaurants.

The main conference and workshops of ICNP 2020 attracted 129 and 78 registrants respectively. During the three days of the main conference, authors presented 30 high-quality papers in a single track. A committee consisting of 5 area chairs granted the ICNP 2020 Best Paper Award to article “SCIONLab: A Next-Generation Internet Testbed” by a Swiss-German research team from ETH Zürich and University Magdeburg. Successfully adjusted to the new format, the poster-and-demo session run in 5 parallel online tracks and enabled the attendees to become familiar with 12 posters and 2 demos by hopping between the tracks. AIMCOM2 (Riding with AI towards Mission-Critical Communications and Computing at the Edge), HDR-Nets (Harnessing the Data Revolution in Networking), and NIPAA (New Internetworking Protocols Architectures, and Algorithms) delivered an exciting program of 3 parallel full-day workshops where presentations of papers accepted from open calls blended with panel discussions, invited talks, and keynote speeches by distinguished researchers. To disseminate the research results of ICNP 2020, the conference website (https://icnp20.cs.ucr.edu/) provides access to presentation slides and recorded videos of all technical sessions.

Researchers and alumni of IMDEA Networks Institute played key roles in successfully organizing and hosting IEEE ICNP 2020. Sergey Gorinsky, a research associate professor at the institute, led the overall effort as the ICNP 2020 general chair. Alumnus Arash Asadi and research associate professor Vincenzo Mancuso chaired posters and demos. Research professor Antonio Fernandez Anta made local arrangements for ICNP 2020. Alumnus Ignacio Castro took care of the conference finances as the treasurer. Post-doctoral researcher Claudio Fiandrino managed registrations. Research assistant professor Guillermo Suarez-Tangil and alumnus Qing Wang arranged the virtual component of ICNP 2020. PhD students Noelia Pérez Palma, Leonardo Peroni, and Francesco Spinelli hosted, supported, and recorded the online sessions of the event.