On January 31, 2023, Slovakia launched the Slovak Quantum Communication Infrastructure (skQCI) project at a kick-off event held at the QUTE Pavilion in Bratislava. According to the project page, skQCI received funding from the European Commission’s Digital Europe Programme (grant agreement 101091548), with co-financing from Slovakia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan through the Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization (MIRRI). The total project budget was approximately €10 million, with a planned duration of 30 months.
The Institute of Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS) serves as the main project coordinator. A consortium of 15 partners plans to build a quantum communication infrastructure connecting 12 Slovak academic institutions from Bratislava to Košice, with provisions for cross-border connections to neighboring countries and satellite-based quantum key distribution.
Minister Veronika Remišová of MIRRI described the project as “part of the innovative segment of the recovery plan.” State Secretary Michal Fedák of the Ministry of Education noted that the project provides “an opportunity for the education and development of the skills of highly qualified experts in the field of quantum technologies at the world level.”