At the Ruđer Bošković Institute (IRB) today, functional building blocks for quantum communication, manufactured and integrated in Croatia, were publicly presented for the first time. At the heart of these quantum developments is a team of scientists, engineers, and technicians from the Ruđer Bošković Institute (IRB) and the company Odašiljači i veze d.o.o. (OIV). The components are part of the Croatian Quantum Communication Infrastructure – CroQCI, a project that is building the foundations of ultra-secure communication in the Republic of Croatia with domestic knowledge and technology.
Project CroQCI under the leadership of the Croatian Academic and Research Network – CARNET, and with the scientific guidance of IRB, it brings together key national research and scientific institutions, higher education institutions, public institutions, and public enterprises with the ultimate goal of strengthening national cybersecurity in accordance with the latest scientific achievements.
Consortium on the task: domestic network, European standards
At the heart of this media event was a joint team from IRB and OIV that designed, developed, and produced the components and systems enabling quantum key distribution (QKD) on an existing optical fiber network in Zagreb, implemented by OIV.
You were facing increasingly powerful cyber threats, quantum communication offers a solution that does not depend on computing power or algorithms, but on the laws of quantum physics. This sets a new benchmark sovereignty and resilience digital systems: communication interception can be detected, and key compromise prevented from the outset. Today's presentation shows that Croatia, thanks to the CroQCI consortium, IRB, and OIV, is not waiting for technological solutions from other countries but is developing technology degrees at home, sovereign, with local knowledge and technology.
Today's media demonstration showcased the three pillars of the future network. First, quantum receivers with optical modules and photon detectors, including the integration of superconducting photon detectors crucial for high-sensitivity quantum signal registration. Second, a quantum operator system that generates quantum-entangled photon pairs, the basis for the most secure practical implementation of quantum communication today. Third, hardware encryptors based on FPGA chips, which encrypt messages with quantum-generated keys. This confirmed that quantum communication is not confined to the laboratory but is functioning in practice on the optical network of CroQCI members in the city of Zagreb.
Sovereignty as a Specification: Safer Connections, More Resilient Systems
The importance of this technology is multilayered as it brings national sovereign access to secure communication and lays the foundation for further development of quantum networks and systems in Croatia.
„These components were developed in Croatia at IRIS, using our knowledge and resources. This is another confirmation of how IRIS, through excellence and collaboration, remains a key player in building Croatia's scientific and technological future. IRIS will continue to actively support and lead the development of quantum communication in Croatia through the CroQCI project, and further strengthen research in this area. The advancement of this research will also be enabled by the new infrastructure we are building as part of the capital project O-ZIP,“ said the Director of IRIS, Ph.D. David M. Smith.
Our goal is simple and strategically important: to build a domestic, sovereign, and resilient communication network that relies on the laws of quantum physics rather than computing power to protect network connectivity, thereby raising the level of the state's cybersecurity. In the coming period, we will focus on connecting Croatian quantum infrastructure with the European quantum network, combining terrestrial and satellite technologies. Today's demonstration shows that we are not in the stage of promises, but in the stage of work; Croatia's quantum link is functional, and the multidisciplinary knowledge gathered enables further expansion of the infrastructure within Croatia, as well as towards the EU.
Scientific project leader of CroQCI, Ph.D. Martin Lončarić „Our approach was based on the knowledge and technology that we had already successfully applied with international partners in building the first, and at that time unique, quantum communication network based on quantum entanglement in 2019 in Bristol, and then in demonstrating the first quantum communication between Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia within the framework of the meeting of the member countries of the prestigious G20 group in 2021. The technology we presented to you today is based on quantum entanglement, which enables a level of data transmission security that classical systems cannot provide. We are proud that we developed and built the entire system, from the photon source to the receiver, in Croatia.“
Industrial partner OIV highlighted that quantum communication is already integrated with infrastructure. „OIV has developed encryptors that encrypt messages with quantum-generated keys, based on state-of-the-art FPGA programmable chips. Furthermore, OIV has achieved a connection via optical infrastructure between key institutions in Zagreb, which was a crucial prerequisite for establishing a national quantum communication network. This is a significant step forward for our communication security,“ he said. Duje Gasperov, M.Sc. Senior Specialist for New Technologies, Department of New Technologies, OIV.
The photons are ready. And so are we.
CroQCI is a strategic national project within the pan-European EuroQCI initiative, aiming to build terrestrial and space quantum communication infrastructure that will enable ultra-secure information transfer in Croatia and connect to the European network. It is implemented by a consortium including: Croatian Academic and Research Network – CARNET (project leader), Ruđer Bošković Institute (scientific leadership), University of Zagreb University Computing Centre (SRCE), Institute of Physics (IFZ), Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER), Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences (FPZ), Transmitters and Communications Ltd. (OIV), and the Office of the National Security Council (UVNS).
The project, valued at 9.9 million euros, is co-financed by the European Union through the Digital Europe Programme (DEP) and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO). It runs from January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026, with the ultimate goal of strengthening national cybersecurity in line with the latest scientific advancements.
„Today's presentation, held at IRB, showed how Croatian science is transforming into a working infrastructure, from sources of entangled photons to receivers and encryptors, and back to a concrete, living connection. In this puzzle, the Ruđer Bošković Institute is and remains a crucial, supporting element,“ it was concluded today at IRB.
About the CroQCI Project
Croatian Quantum Communication Infrastructure – CroQCI is a strategic national project focused on development and implementation of an ultra-secure data transmission network based on the principles of quantum physics. The project is part of the pan-European EuroQCI (European Quantum Communication Infrastructure) initiative, and its goal is to build a resilient, domestic infrastructure for quantum-secured communication between key state, scientific, and infrastructure institutions.
The goal of the CroQCI project is to build a quantum communication infrastructure (QCI) consisting of terrestrial and space-based solutions that will enable ultra-secure transmission of information and data within the Republic of Croatia, and allow for the connection of communication facilities in Croatia with those across the European Union. The project is implemented by the QCI consortium, which comprises relevant national research and public institutions, higher education institutions, and public companies in this field.
The project is led by the Croatian Academic and Research Network – CARNET, with scientific leadership from the Ruđer Bošković Institute, and partners the University of Zagreb University Computing Centre (SRCE), the Institute of Physics (IFZ), the University of Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER), the University of Zagreb Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences (FPZ), Odašiljači i veze d.o.o. (OIV), and the Office of the National Security Council (UVNS).
The project, worth 9.9 million euros, is co-financed by European Union funds through the Digital Europe Programme (DEP) and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). CroQCI runs from January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026, and His ultimate goal is to strengthen national cybersecurity in accordance with the latest scientific advancements.
