AIT Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) is Austria’s largest research and technology organization. The institute takes a leading position in the Austrian innovation system and a key role in Europe. With its expertise of handling large EU quantum communication projects such as OPENQKD, AIT will coordinate QCI-CAT from an administrative point, as well as act as the technical manager and project lead.
Today, CANCOM Austria AG is Austria's number 1 digitalization partner and develops new end-to-end business models in close cooperation with customers. With access to the technologies utilized in this project, CANCOM wants to widen its portfolio and grant customers the possibility to use high security transmission with quantum cryptography technology.
dacoso GmbH is a leading IT service provider in the DACH region and brings network performance and data security to the business customers with a focus on managing services for optical networks, intelligent networks and cyber security. For the project, dacoso will support with the security assessment, EuroQCI architecture, procurement and the installation/provisioning.
fragmentiX Storage Solutions GmbH is the only company worldwide that offers quantum safe storage appliances using an extension of Shamir’s Secret Sharing. Current activities are focused on the Health/Medical sector due to a cooperation with the Medical University of Graz and the European organization of Biobanks BBMRI-ERIC. Together with their expertise in quantum communication and quantum secure storage of data as well as the experience in the medical sector, fragmentix will support QCI-CAT in various security and genome data transfer related topics.
Quantum Technology Laboratories GmbH (qtlabs) is an engineering and consulting company committed to evaluating, developing, and providing quantum-secure solutions for telecom infrastructure, enterprise networks, cloud computing, and big data technology services. With their expertise in the scientific and engineering parts of this project, qtlabs will support with the deployment of both free-space and fiber QKD links along with target oriented training curricula for technicians and business managers to ensure the successful operation and management of the QKD systems.
The core competences of X-Net group combine interdisciplinary expertise and are divided into three main business areas: network engineering, software and hardware development and research and development, e.g. regarding security solutions and digital heritage. With this experience in secure communication, X-Net will among other things advise, support and contribute to the implementation of a quantum secure video- and audio link.
The Medical University of Graz (MUG) is linked to the University Hospital with 1584 beds and 493.000 patients per year. The Diagnostic and Research Institute of Human Genetics is ISO 15189 accredited and will be a critical partner with exchanging genome data between Vienna and Graz in a quantum secured way. The infrastructure and technical expertise for data transfer will be provided by the Diagnostic and Research Institute of Pathology.
Through scientific research of information security, SBA develop practical and applicable solutions for and with different partner companies, universities and ministries. SBA has both cybersecurity expertise in regulatory compliance and technical analysis and will address Governance and accompanying security assessments within the project.
Graz University of Technology (TUG) is the second largest research and education facility for technical sciences in Austria. IAIK is one of the leading research institutions in cybersecurity and will assist the project in pre- and post-quantum cryptography, cryptoanalysis and quantum cryptography.
Of particular relevance to QCI-CAT Is the strong research focus of the University of Innsbruck on, and current capabilities in, quantum communication, especially using the platforms of photons and trapped atomic ions. UIBK’s roles in QCI-CAT include demonstrating key aspects of a long-distance quantum repeater as well as supporting and planning the development of satellite ground stations for quantum communication in Austria.
Together with various Austrian Federal Ministries and the Federal Chancellery, we establish and implement a metropolitan quantum communication network in Vienna and furthermore, a long distance link from Vienna to Graz and St. Johann. The Secret Sharing communication technology between aforementioned authorities will be improved by QKD as a first application of the newly established quantum secure network.
ABOUT QCI-CAT
Building on the long research experience of Austrian institutions in the field of quantum technologies, the project QCI-CAT aims at an adoption of modern encryption technology based on QKD for highly secure communication between public authorities.
QCI-CAT will investigate and verify new security applications for public authorities, such as secret sharing and message authentication.
Additionally, QCI-CAT will also leverage a research testbed for new technological approaches such as the combination of post-quantum encryption with QKD, long-distance QKD with secured trusted nodes and field trials of quantum repeaters.