A Cyprus-led consortium secured €7.5 million (approximately $7.6 million) in funding for the Cyprus Quantum Communication Infrastructure (CYQCI) project under the European Commission’s Digital Europe Programme. The total cost was to be co-financed equally by the EU program and national funds from the Republic of Cyprus, through the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy (DMRID).
According to Cyprus Mail reporting, the funding request was presented to the EU by a consortium led by the Department of Electronic Communications, part of the DMRID, in cooperation with scientists from the European University of Cyprus and the Cyprus University of Technology, along with the Cyprus Telecommunication Authority (CYTA). The project was set to run for 30 months.
CYQCI aimed to establish an advanced experimental optical network based on quantum key distribution (QKD), enabling highly secure information transfer between critical public, academic, and industrial end-users across three cities. Partners included the Digital Security Authority (DSA), the Cyprus Research and Academic Network (CYNET), and Hellas Sat. Government ministries, critical infrastructure organizations, hospitals, and airports were identified as end-users.