The PQ-NEXT EU project has been launched, aiming to smooth and secure the migration to the post-quantum cryptography era.
The PQ-NEXT (Post-Quantum Networks for Energy-eXfficient Transitions) project held its first online kick-off meeting on Tuesday, 18th November 2025. By bringing together 17 highly experienced partners from across the European Union, including Greece, Spain, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Bulgaria, the PQ-NEXT consortium is dedicated to securing the smooth transition to the post-quantum cryptography era, coordinated by the National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”.
By developing a comprehensive migration framework that analyses and models scenarios for the transition to post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) standards and by providing tailored migration plans, the PQ-NEXT project will enable a smooth, secure transition while minimising the risks associated with the new post-quantum cryptography era. The project’s large-scale pilots in finance, critical infrastructure, telecommunications, and digital identities, through the selected use of digital twinning, will validate the solutions developed.
PQ-NEXT is the continuation of the Horizon Europe project PQ-REACT: Post Quantum Cryptography Framework for Energy Aware Contexts. All the knowledge generated will serve as the basis for PQ-NEXT to secure the smooth transition to the post-quantum era in the EU and beyond.
The Team
At the center of PQ-NEXT is a unified team whose expertise spans across PQC, Context Agility, QKD, Quantum Processing Applications, Legal/Risk Assessment, Standardisation and Communication. The project is coordinated by the National Center For Scientific Research “Demokritos”, including Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, Universidad Politecnica De Madrid, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa, Athena Research Center, AGH University of Kraków, Hochschule RheinMain, Indra, Telefónica Innovación Digital, Motor Oil, Infili Technologies SA, Caixabank , AUSTRALO, Sploro, SmartLex, AFCEA Sofia Chapter, Dimos Egaleo.
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For more information, questions and collaborations, please contact: pqnext@australo.org
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The PQ-NEXT project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme through the European Cybersecurity Competence Center under grant agreement n° 101225759.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.