The HellasQCI project, Greece’s national quantum communication infrastructure initiative, held its kick-off meeting on January 19-20, 2023, at the Hellenic Ministry of Digital Governance in Athens. The project officially started on January 1, 2023, and runs for 42 months with a total budget of approximately €10 million, co-funded 50% by the EU Digital Europe Programme and 50% by national resources through the Ministry of Digital Governance, according to GRNET’s project page.
Minister of State and Digital Governance Kyriakos Pierrakakis and Secretary General of Telecommunications and Post Athanasios Staveris welcomed the 14-partner consortium at the event. The National Infrastructures for Research and Technology (GRNET), a state-owned company operating under the Ministry of Digital Governance, serves as the project coordinator.
HellasQCI’s architecture comprises three metropolitan test sites in Athens, Thessaloniki, and Heraklion (Crete), each divided into governmental and industrial testbeds for deploying quantum key distribution (QKD) technologies. Use cases address national security, public health, critical infrastructure, and the ICT sector. Three Greek observatories at Helmos, Holomontas, and Skinakas, selected by ESA to be upgraded as optical ground stations with QKD capabilities, will provide inter-site links and international connections. Partners include the Ministry of Defence, research institutions, and private-sector companies, as described at the HellasQCI project overview.