Executive Summary

The QUANTUM COMMUNICATION INNOVATION FORUM, held on 28-29 November in Bilbao, Spain, brought together experts from across Europe to discuss the progress of the EuroQCI initiative, ensure that the critical components of EuroQCI are based on European technologies, and ultimately to boost Europe’s scientific, technological and industrial capabilities in cybersecurity and quantum technologies. The forum provided a platform for sharing insights, addressing current and future implementation challenges, and exploring future directions for Quantum Communications in Europe.

Dr. Ilias Papastamatiou from Greece, Senior Project Manager at GRNET and the HellasQCI project coordinator, presented the key elements of the project, its current updates, as well as the challenges faced and the way forward. 

Among many interesting sessions, there was a panel discussion, where HellasQCI  together with other three NatQCI projects from (Spain, Italy and Portugal) participated, discussed and answered key questions, along the following themes:

· How are the national Quantum Communication projects aligned with the EuroQCI Initiative?

· What are the most significant challenges encountered so far by each project?

· What steps are essential for deploying a fully functional European satellite constellation and terrestrial segments relying on fibre communications networks linking strategic sites at national and cross-border level?

A Secure Quantum Communication Network in Europe is in the making

GRNET, the coordinator of the HellasQCI project, that deploys the National Quantum Communication Infrastructure for Greece, was invited by EuroQCI Spain to the Quantum Communication Innovation Forum in Bilbao from 28 to 29 November 2023. HellasQCI participated in a round table discussion for the European Quantum Communications Ecosystem along with ICFO, the coordinator of the Spanish QCI project (EuroQCI Spain), Deimos Engenharia, the coordinator of the Portuguese QCI project (PTQCI) and INRiM  the coordinator of the Italian QCI project (QUID). The discussion was moderated by Telefonica. 

The four (4) National QCIs gained meaningful insights into the current state of implementation of each project and many topics have been analysed and discussed such as common current and future challenges and cross-border interoperability It is of great importance for National QCIs to work together and exchange expertise and best practices in order to build together an operational, interoperable and secure EuroQCI.

EuroQCI; an important initiative for all Europe realised through the National Quantum Communication projects

The European Commission, in collaboration with all 27 EU Member States and the European Space Agency (ESA) supports the design, development and deployment of the EuroQCI initiative, which will be composed of a terrestrial segment relying on fibre communications networks linking strategic sites at national and cross-border level, and a space segment based on satellites. 

The goal is to design and deploy an architecture that will safeguard sensitive data and critical infrastructures by integrating quantum-based systems into existing communication infrastructures.

The forum highlighted the diverse range of national quantum communication projects across Europe. Moreover, National QCIs coordinators and representatives discussed the challenges faced throughout the project’s deployment (i.e. the non-disclosure of the exact location of governmental nodes, or the lack of a common definition for the trusted nodes -relay and governmental end-nodes- the need for a comprehensive national roadmap, and the difficulties in establishing close collaboration between the HellasQCI SAB and the national NSAs. 

Conclusion

The QUANTUM COMMUNICATION INNOVATION FORUM provided a valuable space for discussing the progress and challenges of the EuroQCI initiative as well as cooperation among National QCI projects. Acknowledging that the path to innovation lies in continuous refinement and adaptation, GRNET/HellasQCI sees this Forum as a step forward on the road to establishing a secure and resilient quantum communication network and ecosystem.