June 03, 2026 -- At the beginning of June 2026, the QUANT-GPlCz – QKD Network Germany-Poland-Czech Republic research project officially commenced its work. The project is funded within the framework of the European EuroQCI initiative and is supported in equal parts by the European Union and, on the German side, by the Bundesministerium für Digitales und Staatsmodernisierung (BMDS). Building on the results of the predecessor project Q‑net‑Q, QUANT-GPlCz aims to connect national Quantum Communication Infrastructures (QCI) into a cross-border communication backbone between Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Under the coordination of Hochschule Nordhausen, numerous partners from research and industry are involved, including the Fraunhofer-Institut für Angewandte Optik und Feinmechanik (IOF), the Fraunhofer-Institut für Nachrichtentechnik, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (HHI) and the Fraunhofer-Institut für Integrierte Schaltungen (IIS), the Technical Universities of Berlin and Munich, the internet exchange operator DE-CIX, and Quantum Optics Jena GmbH. Together, they aim to establish the foundations for a trilateral QKD backbone, thereby making an important contribution to the development of a secure European Quantum Communication Infrastructure.

In order to build a trilateral Quantum Communication Infrastructure, national borders must be overcome within QUANT-GPlCz. To this end, new QKD backbone connections (Quantum Key Distribution) will be established, physically linking the metropolitan regions of Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Warsaw, and Prague. In this way, the existing national Quantum Networks – the German Q‑net‑Q network, the Polish PIONIER‑Q network, and the Czech CZQCI network – are to be integrated into a unified cross-border network. In addition to the infrastructure development, the integration of critical sectors is a key focus of the project. In cooperation with the internet exchange operator and interconnection service provider DE-CIX, highly secure private interconnection and connectivity solutions for data exchange between data centres are being tested. Furthermore, the project partners are developing concepts for securing critical infrastructures, such as in the energy sector, as well as for the confidential communication of governmental institutions.

A technological distinguishing feature of the project is the coupling of terrestrial networks with the space segment. By synchronising the fibre-optic network with optical ground stations, QUANT-GPlCz creates the prerequisites for integration into the planned EuroQCI space segment. This hybrid approach is expected to enable end-to-end quantum-secured communication over long distances in the future, thereby extending the reach of European Quantum Communication Infrastructures. It also lays important groundwork for secure information exchange between the Security Operations Centres (SOCs) of the participating EU Member States. Click here for more information about the project launch.