Pierrakakis: Projects are underway to upgrade cyber security

The security of the country’s sensitive data and critical infrastructure is being upgraded in the context of Greece’s digital transformation.

The Ministry of Digital Governance announced the start of implementation of the European co-financed project “HellasQCI”. In this way, the country participates in the European Initiative for Secure Quantum Communication Infrastructure “EuroQCI”, with the aim of developing a European infrastructure of quantum infrastructure networks (Quantum Communication Infrastructure – QCI).

This is a project that will contribute to upgrading the security of sensitive data and critical infrastructures at national and EU level. Particularly:

HellasQCI’s new networks will strengthen the protection of government institutions, data centers, health structures, energy networks, as well as other critical infrastructures, with the aim of soon becoming one of the main pillars of the new EU Cybersecurity Strategy. for the coming decades.
The development of technologies required under the project will strengthen European scientific and technological capabilities in Cybersecurity and quantum technologies.
EuroQCI will improve European digital dominance and competitiveness in the industrial sector, while at national level the technologies developed by HellasQCI will complement existing communication infrastructures.
It paves the way for the provision of quantum key distribution (QKD) services, which are highly secure forms of encryption and will raise security levels both in the transmission of sensitive data and in critical infrastructures at national and European level.
In the context of the project:

National quantum networks communication systems of the states participating in EuroQCI will communicate with each other. For that reason. national quantum communication networks will be designed and implemented that will connect strategic locations in Greece (Athens, Thessaloniki and Heraklion in Crete) with the three Optical Ground Stations (Chelmos, Holomonta and Skinaka).
A series of use cases will be carried out in the Public sector, businesses and research centers and
Technical trainings will be conducted for operators and end users.
HellasQCI coordinates and implements the National Technology and Research Infrastructure Network (EDYTE SA – GRNET), a supervised body of the Ministry of Digital Governance. The project has a duration of 30 months and will be completed in June 2025, with funding of 50% from the European Union (Digital Europe Program – DEP) and 50% from national resources. The technical details of the project were presented on Thursday, at the HellasQCI announcement event held at the Ministry of Digital Governance.

The Minister of State and Digital Governance Kyriakos Pierrakakis said: “It is with great pleasure that we announce the launch of the HellasQCI project coordinated and implemented by EDYTE. This is a project that will enable the European Union as a whole, as well as each individual member state, to upgrade their infrastructure in the field of Cybersecurity. At a time when the challenges around Cybersecurity are constantly increasing, it is important that we are together with our partners at the forefront of developments and initiatives for the safe transfer of data.”

The Secretary General of Telecommunications and Posts Athanasios Staveris said: “HellasQCI, the Greek proposal for the development of national quantum infrastructure networks, in which 14 organizations participate, has been evaluated and deemed technically sound by the European Union. The next step is the further development of the network in cooperation with the other EU member states. as part of the EuroQCI Initiative. A big congratulations to all the teams who worked to make this great project happen.”

The CEO of the National Technology and Research Infrastructure Network (EDYTE S.A. – GRNET) Aristides Sotiropoulos said: “It is a great honor for us that the Ministry of Digital Governance entrusted EDYTE with the coordination of the HellasQCI project, the National Quantum Communication Infrastructure, and today it begins its implementation to form part of EuroQCI, upgrading the security of network communications both at national and European level. EDYTE also has a major role in all European cloud/service infrastructures such as EOSC, EUDAT, EGI, GÉANT, PRACE and EuroHPC and we are proud to implement this new quantum network infrastructure. I would also like to thank all the partners of the proposal, as well as the coordinator of the proposal Dr. Ilias Papastamatiou, Senior Project Manager of EDYTE, for this very positive, collective result”.

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