Profiles of the Projects funded under the “Transfer und Netzintegration der Quantenkommunikation” Call published:
As part of the Federal Government’s IT security research framework programme “Digital. Sicher. Souverän.”, the Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR) intends to fund research and development aimed at transferring Quantum Communication Systems into practical application and integrating them into networks. In addition to an overarching roof project, the programme particularly supports application-oriented and end-user-focused research projects that address key challenges in integrating these systems into existing and future ICT networks and prepare them for deployment under real-world conditions. The first application-oriented research projects were successfully launched in January 2026. These include the projects “AQUILA”, “Q‑Stars” and “QCyber”. The corresponding project profiles were published on the BMFTR website in mid-February 2026.
The joint project “Agiler Quantenschlüsselserver mit anpassungsfähiger Architektur (AQUILA)” aims to research and demonstrate, in an application-oriented context, a flexibly deployable Quantum Key Server. The server is designed to execute various cryptographic functions independently of specific platforms and to automatically allocate available resources as well as suitable protocols. In addition to a standardisable software architecture, a modular hardware solution is also being developed: compact plug-in cards in the form of Quantum Key Modules for different QKD protocols.
The project “Q‑STARS” aims to develop a hybrid communication network with end-to-end security and trustworthiness. To this end, quantum-based and classical cryptographic methods are combined with physical layer security techniques and integrated into heterogeneous transmission infrastructures. In addition, classical and quantum-based monitoring and measurement methods are combined to ensure the integrity of the network.
Within the framework of the joint project “QCyber,” new approaches for networked multi-party Quantum Communication Applications are being investigated. The goal is to systematically evaluate their practical feasibility and security. To this end, advanced multipartite Quantum Communication Protocols are analyzed, and suitable hardware solutions are developed for the use of multipartite entangled Quantum States as a central resource in future Quantum Networks. Click here for more information about call and projects.
Source reference: Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR)