The ancient city of Athens inspired the keynote speech of Professor Artur Ekert (University of Oxford and CQZ Singapore), who used the classical architectural analogy of the Parthenon and Pantheon. He highlighted the importance of arches in architectural evolution to illustrate the building blocks of quantum technology – the idea of stable and fault-tolerant “arches” supporting the “cathedral domes”, analogy of quantum computers.
Held from April 28 to 30 at the prestigious Eugenides Foundation, a renowned hub for science and culture, QCIDays 2025 provided a unique opportunity to discuss the latest trends in quantum-secure communication. The event brought together the EuroQCI communities from both public and private sectors, experts from the Digital Europe Programme (DEP) and Quantum Flagship projects, industry specialists, researchers, and policy makers focused on quantum communication and cybersecurity.
As the first phase of EuroQCI nears completion, the event showcased concrete results from national and industrial projects, use cases, and future plans for the next stages of EuroQCI. The event took place under the auspices of the Hellenic Republic Ministry of Digital Governance, with high-level state support evident in the opening welcome notes from Dimitris Papastergiou, Minister of Digital Governance, and Konstantinos Karatzalos, Secretary General of Telecommunications & Post, Greece.
QCIDays 2025 highlighted outstanding cooperation among three EuroQCI National Infrastructure projects: HellasQCI (Greece), QCI-CAT (Austria), and EuroQCI Spain – countries that have also excelled in large network deployments.
Representing the QCIHungary project, our partners from Pro-M Plc. (János Mohácsi, Ildikó Kádárné Kelemen), BME (Botond László Márton, Kitti Oláh), and ELTE IT Faculty (Ádám Nagy) actively participated. The event also attracted national authorities, including Dóra Borbála Kovács and Leon Maszlov from the Hungarian National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMMH), reflecting the growing interest in quantum technologies at the national level.
The main themes – Securing the Digital Future: Quantum Key Distribution & Beyond, From Trusted Nodes to Future-Proof Encryption, and Cutting-Edge Science Meets Real-World Deployment – were clearly reflected throughout the programme.
In the corridors and the adjacent Exhibition Room, 20 exhibitors showcased the latest advancements in quantum-secure communications and infrastructure. A highlight was a live quantum-secure videoconference demo, jointly prepared by Austria, Greece, and Spain’s national projects, demonstrating the future of digital security in real time. Stay tuned for more details about this exciting demonstration in our upcoming news.
The scientific part of the event kicked off with keynotes on the EuroQCI Initiative by Aymard De Touzalin (Head of Unit Emerging and Disruptive Technologies, EC DG CNECT), alongside thought leaders and top researchers who described the evolution of quantum technology, highlighted challenges, and outlined future plans.
The afternoon session focused on Large Network Deployments, followed by national presentations showcasing achievements in quantum-secured networks. Engaging panel discussions after each session sparked lively debates and raised new questions. Many projects also presented posters summarizing their results.
Day two centred on Europe’s Quantum Industry & Ecosystem Development, featuring speeches on the Industrialisation of QKD, quantum tech pitches from industry players, and showcases from premium sponsors including ADAPTIT S.A., Nokia, Fortinet, and ID Quantique. Experts shared national approaches and real-world QKD use cases across Europe.
The session Secure Connectivity from Earth to Space closed the second day, where Kitti Oláh from BME presented QCIHungary’s activities and space segment experiments. The audience showed great interest in Thomas Baumer’s update on SES’s „EAGLE-1, satellite project. The day concluded with a special immersive viewing experience at the Planetarium’s impressive 24,5m diameter hemispherical dome.
On the third day, the HellasQCI community took centre stage, exploring practical strategies for QKD and post-quantum integration alongside end-user insights. Keynote speaker Eleni Diamanti (CNRS and Sorbonne Université) envisioned a successful EuroQCI by meeting key performance indicators (KPIs) in performance, technical leadership, deployment, and adoption, while also addressing barriers to scaling quantum communication infrastructures.
Closing remarks by Dimitris Katsianis, Deputy Chairman of GRNET and Assistant Professor at NKUA, marked a powerful conclusion to this landmark event. The organizers thanked all speakers, partners, teams, and attendees who contributed to shaping the future of secure quantum communication in Europe.
Following the public event, national QCI projects participated in a workshop organized by the PETRUS project, discussing critical issues such as standardization needs.
Looking ahead, we eagerly anticipate next year’s QCIDays. The symbolic “Quantum Key” was ceremoniously handed over from Greece to Austria for safekeeping, with the new phase of EuroQCI projects set to host this prestigious event again.
