On January 1, 2023, Croatia launched the Croatian Quantum Communication Infrastructure (CroQCI) project, a national initiative to deploy experimental quantum communication systems and networks. According to the project coordinator, the Croatian Academic and Research Network (CARNET), CroQCI carries a total value of €9,999,334, co-financed equally by the EU Digital Europe Programme (50%) and Croatia’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (50%).
CroQCI was approved under the Digital Europe call DIGITAL-2021-QCI-01-DEPLOY-NATIONAL. The consortium is authorized by the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth and includes nine partners: CARNET as coordinator, the Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI) as scientific lead, the University Computing Centre (SRCE), the Institute of Physics, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, OIV (digital signals and networks), the Maritime Centre for Electronics (PCE), and the Office of the National Security Council (UVNS).
Project objectives include the implementation of a pilot terrestrial QKD network over fiber optics, the establishment of an optical ground station for satellite-based quantum communication with European Space Agency support, and the development of quantum and post-quantum cryptographic solutions. The project was initially scheduled to run through summer 2025, later extended to June 30, 2026.