GRNET, Greece’s National Research and Education Network (NREN), operating under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence, actively participated in TNC26, GÉANT’s flagship event and the world’s most prestigious research and education networking conference, held from 8-12 June 2026 in Helsinki, Finland.
The conference brought together over 800 participants from more than 70 countries, engaging in collaboration activities across the global research and education community. Hosted by CSC – IT Center for Science, this year’s edition was held under the theme “Digital Sisu,” reflecting the resilience, determination, and collective strength needed to navigate a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Representing GRNET, Dr. Ilias Papastamatiou, Chair of the GÉANT Quantum Strategy Coordination Group (QSCG), Senior Project Manager and Coordinator of the HellasQCI and SEEWQCI projects, as well as Greece’s National Coordinator for the TransEuroOGS project, chaired the Birds of a Feather (BoF) session “Quantum Technologies for NRENs” on Wednesday, 10 June 2026.
The session brought together representatives from GÉANT and leading European NRENs to exchange perspectives on quantum technologies and ongoing national initiatives. Featured presentations included:
- Ilias Papastamatiou (GRNET) – Overview and updates from the GÉANT Quantum Strategy Coordination Group (QCSG)
- Domenico (Dom) Vicinanza (GÉANT) – Quantum in GÉANT: Overview and updates from SIG-Quantum
- Alexis Aivaliotis (GRNET) – GRNET at the Forefront of Quantum Communications in Greece
- Piotr Rydlichowski (PCSS) – Synergies between current quantum technology initiatives and projects with NREN participation
- Wojciech Kozlowski (SURF) – QKD and beyond QKD at SURF
- Sergejs Kozlovics (IMCS, University of Latvia) – Latvian Quantum Shields: Securing Networks and Clouds
The BoF session attracted strong interest from the research and education networking community. The auditorium was completely full, reflecting the growing importance of quantum technologies and the increasing engagement of NRENs in this field.
One of the highlights of the BoF was the presentation of the updated NREN Quantum Technologies landscape mapping exercise, conducted within the GÉANT Quantum Strategy Coordination Group. The mapping exercise identified 23 NRENs actively participating in quantum initiatives and 55 projects in total, including 44 Quantum Communication Infrastructure (QCI) projects, 5 Quantum Computing/Simulator projects and 6 Quantum Sensing and Metrology projects.
The mapping results generated considerable interest and stimulated valuable discussion on opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing and coordination across Europe.
The session concluded with an engaging open discussion and Q&A, during which participants exchanged experiences, identified common challenges and explored ways to strengthen cooperation among NRENs. A key outcome was the shared understanding that the mapping exercise provides a strong foundation for future strategic activities and should be kept up to date.
As a next step, it was agreed that a dedicated follow-up meeting would be organised to discuss the mapping results in more detail, identify gaps and synergies, and define concrete actions for enhancing collaboration within the European NREN quantum ecosystem.
Through these contributions, participants explored how NRENs can support the development and deployment of quantum technologies across Europe and beyond, with emphasis on interoperability, trusted infrastructures and cross-border collaboration, while also considering the establishment of a shared vision on how quantum technologies can benefit NRENs through initiatives such as the GÉANT Quantum Strategy Coordination Group, GÉANT SIG-Quantum and other collaborative frameworks.
Overall, the BoF reflected the maturity of ongoing initiatives and the strong momentum behind quantum technologies within the GÉANT and NREN community. GRNET continues to advance quantum communication technologies and support the development of secure, future-ready digital infrastructures for the research and education community. Dr. Papastamatiou has served as the appointed Chair of the GÉANT Quantum Strategy Coordination Group since November 2025, with the goal of coordinating strategic dialogues on quantum technologies across the broader NREN landscape, identifying synergistic opportunities and fostering the exchange of best practices throughout the European quantum ecosystem.
Further information about TNC26 is available on the official conference website here.
