Transition towards Quantum-Resistant Cryptography

During the next decades the European Union should seize the opportunities that quantum technologies will bring. However, quantum technologies will also pose a significant risk to the security of our society. The advent of large-scale quantum computers will compromise much of modern cryptography, which is instrumental in ensuring cybersecurity and privacy of the digital transition. Any cryptographic primitive based on the integer factorization and/or the discrete logarithm problems will be vulnerable to large-scale quantum-powered attacks. The digital data/products/systems that derive their security ultimately from the abovementioned primitives will be compromised and must be upgraded -including their replacement when needed- to quantum-resistant cryptography. The massive scale of this foreseen upgrade shows that preparations are needed today in order to widely implement the relevant mitigations in the future. Many companies and governments cannot afford to have their protected communications/data decrypted in the future, even if that future is a few decades away. There is a need to advance in the transition to quantum-resistant cryptography.

Applicants should propose approaches to tackle the abovementioned challenges, with the goal to develop cryptographic systems that are secure against attacks using both quantum or/and classical computers. Proposals may also try to better understand the expected capabilities of quantum computers (e.g. novel relevant quantum algorithms) and to further assess their implications to cybersecurity.

The proposed actions responding to this topic should take stock of and build on the relevant outcomes from other research fields (such as mathematics, physics, electrical engineering) and actions (e.g. H2020 projects, NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography competition, efforts in ETSI), and are encouraged to plan engaging and cooperating with them to the extent possible. Participation of SMEs is encouraged.

Applicants should demonstrate innovative ways to design, build, and deploy the new quantum-resistant infrastructures (including relevant hardware, software and IT processes). This should include switching from nowadays infrastructures to the proposed new ones with practical migration paths, aiming to efficiently manage the total time needed and the total costs associated, while also paying attention to affordable energy consumption.

Applicants should look at the implementation of quantum-resistant algorithms on software as well as specific hardware, such as. resource constrained IoT devices, smart cards, high-speed field-programmable gate arrays.

Proposals should devise, develop and validate metrics, methodologies, conformity assessment tests and tools for assessing and quantifying the security and the privacy of the proposed systems and services. Furthermore, proposals should strive to encompass a thorough comprehensive security evaluation of the engineering and deploying of efficient and secure implementations of the proposed solutions. Due consideration should be given to countermeasures against side channel attacks.

Applicants should strive to use the most promising relevant cryptographic primitives as well as to adapt the used cryptographic protocols accordingly.

Proposals may analyse how to develop combined quantum-classical[[Here “classical” is used with the meaning of non-quantum. Hence “post-quantum cryptography” is considered as advanced classical cryptography.]] cryptographic solutions in Europe, for those use cases where these hybrid solutions might bring gains to the overall security. To this end, the analysis should take into account relevant actions in quantum cryptography (e.g. H2020 OpenQKD project, EuroQCI).

Proposals should validate their concept by exercising and deploying pilot demonstrators in relevant use cases. The demonstrators should include exercises on executing different migration strategies for real use cases and applications that would allow their implementation in large-scale, complex systems. Lessons learned from the exercises should be transformed into practical, multidisciplinary guidelines that support entities to plan and execute their own migration, considering the technical, the economical and legal contexts.

For expanding the proposed work in terms of including additional quantum-resistant infrastructures, additional pilot sites, additional countries and users the actions may involve financial support to third parties in line with the conditions set out in Part B of the General Annexes. Each consortium will define the selection process of the third parties for which financial support will be granted (typically in the order of EUR 50 000 to 300 000 per party). Up to 20% of the EU funding requested by the proposal may be allocated to the purpose of financial support to third parties.

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.