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The driving force for QuNEST – Quantum Enhanced Optical Communication Network Security Doctoral Training network (DN) is to provide high-level and highly collaborative training to 11 highly achieving doctoral candidates (DCs). This Doctoral network is a highly multi-disciplinary, intersectoral effort, spanning areas of quantum physics, simulations, photonics, optical transmission, QKD protocols, implementation security, error correction algorithms, digital signal processing, networks and control, requiring cross-disciplinary and intersectoral training targeted at creating experts in this emerging multidisciplinary field. To bring this vision to reality, in addition to being trained on transferable skills, the QuNEST DCs will be trained by doing research, in which they will demonstrate the potential of combining quantum and classical optical data signals in a single fiber by first addressing 3 main challenges:
- Multiplexing techniques to limit impact of linear/non-linear interference from classical signals
- Robust Shannon-limit approaching information reconciliation and error correction
- Extending research training on quantum secure communications from lab to field-labs and networks.
Next to training the 11 DC, these challenges will advance the state-of-the-art system and help further develop quantum communication towards deployment in a “production” network environment handling classical data transmission. QuNEST aims to play a pivotal role by training relevant expertise for European telecommunication industries and markets or other potential users e.g., in banking/financial and datacenter industries. The vision of a widely deployed quantum communications infrastructure is in line with the European Commission which has invested over 1 billion Euros in the Quantum Technologies Flagship to develop and underpin the Quantum sector over 10 years.
To address this growing market, our consortium has been carefully selected to form an innovative training network of 6 leading academic institutions, 9 non-academic beneficiaries and 8 associate partner organisations that have the globally recognised expertise to prepare DCs with both scientific and transferable skills training for successful careers in quantum communications and other deep tech sectors (figure 1). To our knowledge QuNEST will be the first coordinated effort to train much-needed future scientists and engineers who will design, build, deploy and operate the next generation quantum secured optical communications infrastructure. In addition to this outstanding training programme, QuNEST trained experts will actively engage with national and European level policy makers to contribute to the long-term research and development roadmap, contributing to long term and sustainable development of EU sovereign quantum communications infrastructure.
Figure 1: Interdisciplinary and Interconnectivity of CLASSIQ DN. Blue Rectangles – Academic Institutions. Green Ovals: Industrial Companies. CLASSIQ brings together cutting edge industrial and academic expertise to provide leading edge training to DRs in the expanding field of Optical Quantum Communications.
