PiQASO Project Completes Successful First Year Advancing Post-Quantum Security for Critical Infrastructures

ATHENS, Greece – The PiQASO project (Post-Quantum Cryptography As-a-Service for Common Transmission Systems and Infrastructures) has successfully completed its first year. During the first year the technical and operational foundations for the transition to quantum-resistant cybersecurity across Europe’s critical sectors have been established. Co-funded under Grant Agreement No. 101190366 and supported by the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC), PiQASO is developing practical, deployable post-quantum cryptography (PQC) solutions designed for real-world industrial environments.

Building Foundations for Quantum-Safe Infrastructures

During its first 12 months, PiQASO focused on transforming PQC from theory into deployable practice. The consortium conducted a systematic analysis of Common Transmission Systems (CTS) across nine industrial sectors, identifying real operational constraints, trust models, and cryptographic dependencies. This work enabled the definition of 11 application domains where PiQASO’s PQC-as-a-Service (PQCaaS) model can be integrated in a practical and scalable manner.

The pre-release of the PiQASO PQC-as-a-Service platform was a key milestone, which delivered to Use Case partners for early integration and testing. By abstracting cryptography at the service level, such as authentication, key establishment, and secure updates, PiQASO enables crypto-agile deployment without disrupting existing infrastructures.

From Architecture to Implementation

‍Year 1 also marked the transition from conceptual design to early technical implementation. PiQASO introduced:

- A crypto-asset inventorying methodology to help organizations understand and manage their current cryptographic exposure
- The foundations of Post-Quantum Protection Profiles, enabling measurable and sector-specific compliance
- Advanced crypto-agility mechanisms such as updatable encryption schemes, supporting long-term security evolution

These building blocks ensure that migration to PQC can be gradual, auditable, and aligned with operational realities rather than disruptive system overhauls.

Knowledge Sharing Through the PiQASO Academy

To support awareness and capacity building, the project launched the PiQASO Academy . The PiQASO Academy is an online hub providing structured training resources on post-quantum cybersecurity for both technical and non-technical audiences. The Academy infrastructure was fully developed and deployed in Year 1. The course content, webinars, and expert sessions are now in preparation. This initiative will play a central role in helping European stakeholders prepare for the quantum transition.

Scientific and Ecosystem Impact

PiQASO partners published three scientific papers in the first year, contributing new research in quantum-resistant encryption, signatures, and secure system design. At the same time, 21 partners and associated partner SMEs are already engaged in the project’s early validation activities, providing a strong industrial environment for forthcoming pilot demonstrations.

Dissemination activities established PiQASO’s public presence, including the launch of the project website, social media channels, a promotional video, three press releases, and five blog posts, along with initial collaborations with related European PQC initiatives.

Looking Ahead

‍With its foundational phase completed, PiQASO now enters a period of system integration and pilot demonstrations across the identified industrial sectors. The next phase will validate performance, interoperability, and operational feasibility of PQCaaS solutions in real environments.

About PiQASO

PiQASO : Post-Quantum Cryptography As-a-Service for Common Transmission Systems and Infrastructures is a European collaborative project developing agile, service-based PQC solutions to protect critical digital infrastructures against future quantum threats. The project is co-funded by the European Union and supported by the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC).

The project is co-funded by the European union, funded under Grant Agreement No. 101190366 and is supported by the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre.

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