SEEWQCI was represented at EU Space Days 2026, held from 26–27 May 2026 in Nicosia, Cyprus, during the session “Quantum for Satellite Communications”. Organised by the European Commission under the auspices of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, the event brought together senior decision-makers from EU institutions, industry leaders, entrepreneurs and investors.
The panel discussion “Quantum for Satellite Communications” explored how quantum technologies can secure satellite communications and provided an overview of existing initiatives in Europe. The panel brought together Dr. Kyriacos Kalli, Professor at Cyprus University of Technology, SEEWQCI consortium partner; Cmdr. Michail Pothitos, Commander, Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation / Technology Expert, Hellenic Navy; and Alan Kurešević, Managing Director, SES Techcom.
During the discussion, the panel addressed how quantum technologies, particularly Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), can strengthen the security of satellite communications and support Europe’s ambitions for sovereign and resilient connectivity. Dr. Kalli explained that satellite-based QKD can provide unconditional security between a trusted node in space and an optical ground station.
Dr. Kalli also referred to Cyprus’ involvement in SEEWQCI, part of the wider European quantum communication infrastructure effort. He highlighted that the project brings together partners from Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria and the Netherlands, with each country contributing different hardware and optical ground station capabilities.
View the full programme on the European Commission website here.
Watch the recorded session on YouTube here.