PETRUS

Four PETRUS members formed a consortium to apply for the Coordination and Support Action of the current Digital Europe Programme Calls. Together, they cover all relevant fields to successfully prepare the next steps towards a fully
functional and harmonized EuroQCI, consisting of coordinated national QCIs and built with EU-27 components, that have been tested and validated according to European accreditation and certification policies. PETRUS collects deep knowledge of QKD technology, outstanding security expertise, long-standing experience in system design and architecture, and practical knowhow for deployment and operations of communication networks. Each PETRUS member was a prime contractor in previous EuroQCI studies or in OpenQKD. PETRUS understanding of the needs for this call’s topic is thus exceptional and unique. PETRUS repeatedly applies a three-step process: capture relevant data from the INDUSTRIAL and DEPLOY NATIONAL projects, evaluate them with the help of existing material from the EuroQCI studies, and then educate the respective contact persons in the national QCI projects. This also includes a transparent communication to EC, EU-27 suppliers, NCSAs and national sherpas. PETRUS implementation plan defines six work packages: beside project management (WP1), WP2 focusses on the certification & accreditation infrastructure including requirements for testing facilities, WP3 coordinates the reach-out to national QCI projects and knowledge sharing, WP4 assesses the national QCIs and provides recommendations for design, deployment, and operations, WP5 surveys the technology evolution and market development for a full-scale compliance of EU-27 technologies including their EuroQCI integration, and finally WP6 consolidates a long-term strategy for a seamlessly interconnectable, full-fledged EuroQCI implementation including a roadmap how to reach this goal.