November 11, 2026 -- Quantum Communication is considered a key technology of the future. It opens up new possibilities for protecting digital communications against eavesdropping and manipulation and provides an important foundation for future Quantum Information Networks. In Germany, the development of the corresponding technologies and infrastructures is being advanced through numerous research initiatives. One of these is the QuNET initiative, funded by the Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR). It has investigated the technological foundations for future Quantum Communication Networks and tested them in demonstrations. One of its main focuses was Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), in which cryptographic keys are exchanged between communication partners using quantum-mechanical principles. With its official final demonstration in mid-October 2026, the seven-year QuNET initiative successfully concluded its work. However, research into the technological foundations of future Quantum Information Networks is continuing: In November 2026, a new joint research project, QuINN, was launched. Funded by the BMFTR with €16.58 million over a period of three years, it builds on the results and experience gained through QuNET. The core consortium comprises the Fraunhofer-Institut für Angewandte Optik und Feinmechanik IOF as the project coordinator, the Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institut für Nachrichtentechnik HHI, the Institut für Kommunikation und Navigation des Deutschen Zentrums für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), the Max-Planck-Institut für die Physik des Lichts (MPL), the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena (FSU).

The aim of the QuINN initiative is to investigate the technological foundations of future Quantum Information Networks, taking the perspectives of potential end users into account, and to demonstrate these foundations using application-oriented scenarios. In the first project phase, QuINN-alpha, the consortium is investigating fundamental technological building blocks for generating and distributing Quantum States. These are intended to enable the secure connection and effective use of distributed Quantum Resources. Key areas of focus include innovative sources, receivers and photonic components, as well as advanced protocols based on entanglement-based and multidimensional approaches to Quantum Information. In addition, the team is investigating interfaces and integration technologies for securely connecting different Quantum Resources, including Quantum Sensors and Quantum Processors.

By investigating the technological foundations of Quantum Information Networks, the researchers are making an important contribution to cybersecurity in the Quantum Era while also opening up new application opportunities beyond QKD. The project thus supports the goals of the Hightech Agenda Deutschland (HTAD) in the field of Quantum Technologies as a key technology. Click here for more information about QuINN.