Four Swiss Firms Obtain funding from EU to Create Secure Quantum Communication Infrastructure

(CryptoNewsz) The European Commission earlier announced the launch of OPENQKD, a project that will install test quantum communication infrastructures in several European countries. The three-year research project, as suggested by its developers, would be critical in the fields of telecommunications, healthcare, energy supply, and government services.
Now, as a part of this €15 million worth project, the EU has shortlisted 38 participants from the continent which includes four major participants from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, ID Quantique, Services Industriels de Genève, and Mt Pelerin. The primary focus of OPENQKD project is to test the infrastructure for an ultra-secure communication module backed by a built-in quantum element, called Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). Their aim is to develop experimental QKD testbeds and test equipment interoperability.
Alongside these major Swiss players, a number of manufacturing firms and research institutions have invested themselves in developing various forms of quantum technology, together at the OPENQKD project. Other countries at the basis of the testbed are Austria, Germany, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Greece, the UK, and the Czech Republic. To achieve its goals, the project aims to run for a span of three years, hosting 38 partners from 13 EU member states, even including Israel and Serbia.