The newly opened laboratory in the FEE CTU building on Technická Street in Prague-Dejvice represents a significant step in the development of Czech quantum technologies. The quantum communication testbed enables experiments and demonstrations of quantum key distribution (QKD) and other principles of quantum communication in an environment close to real-world deployment.
The facility was established as part of the CZ.QCI project, which aims to build a secure quantum communication infrastructure in the Czech Republic as part of the European EuroQCI initiative. In the future, quantum technologies are set to significantly strengthen the protection of sensitive data and communications against threats associated with the advent of quantum computers.
“More than thirty years ago, experts from our faculty were instrumental in connecting Czechoslovakia to the internet. Today, a new chapter in technology is opening. Quantum technologies have the potential to transform the way we communicate and protect information, and we want to be just as actively involved in the birth of this new infrastructure as the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at CTU was at the advent of the internet in the Czech Republic. It is equally important for us to train the experts who will develop, operate and apply these technologies in practice in the future,” says Prof. Petr Páta, Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at CTU.
The laboratory’s key role will not only be research and system testing, but also the training of a new generation of experts in the field of quantum technologies. Polygon will primarily serve students at CTU in Prague, both within specialised courses and lifelong learning, as well as other partners who express an interest in these technologies. Here, students will be able to gain practical experience of the principles of quantum communication and work with technologies that will form part of critical digital infrastructure in the future.
From a national project to a European quantum network
The concept for the laboratory was developed in collaboration with Palacký University in Olomouc and builds on the activities of the wider CZ.QCI consortium. Whilst the Olomouc partner brings a strong background in basic research, including experimental quantum physics, CTU is developing the application side of the project and translating physical principles into practically usable technologies. The laboratory also serves as an open platform for collaboration between all partners in the CZ.QCI consortium and other institutions involved in the development of quantum technologies in the Czech Republic.
The Quantum Polygon at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, CTU, is designed so that it can become part of the emerging European quantum communication infrastructure in the future. In addition to research, teaching and technology testing, it will also serve as an environment for verifying procedures and solutions that may find application in a pan-European network of secure quantum communication.
“The future of secure communication and quantum computing is linked to the quantum internet. Today, we are in a similar situation to that of the classical internet in the early 1990s – technologies are being validated, the first infrastructures are emerging, and ways are being sought to put them into practical use. The new testbed allows us to test and demonstrate quantum communication under conditions close to real-world operation, whilst simultaneously preparing the facility for integration into the emerging European quantum communication infrastructure. “Our ambition is for it to become a natural part of the European network and a place where new generations of experts in this technology will be nurtured,” says Prof. Igor Jex, programme coordinator for quantum technologies at CTU, who works at the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering.
The development of quantum technologies is now a strategic priority for many developed countries. Universities and research institutions play not only the role of providers of education and basic research in this process, but also that of partners who help the state and industry to build specialist capacity, test new technologies and prepare for their future deployment. In this context, Prof. Jex adds: “We see it as the natural role of universities to provide their expertise and experience in the development of technologies that may be of fundamental importance for the future security, competitiveness and technological sovereignty of the Czech Republic. Such projects also demonstrate how universities and research institutions can contribute their knowledge and infrastructure to building a safer and more technologically advanced environment for society as a whole.”
The opening ceremony also included a guided tour of the laboratory and a visit to other FEE CTU facilities focused on quantum research and teaching.
The practical implementation of quantum communication and the operation of the test facility are managed by the Department of Telecommunications Engineering at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, CTU. The laboratory also builds on the university’s existing educational activities. Seventeen students have enrolled in the follow-on Master’s programme in Quantum Informatics, which focuses on quantum technologies, and most of them are taking the specialised course ‘Quantum Optical Communications and Networks’ this year. The new facility will significantly expand the possibilities for their practical training.
“One of the biggest challenges was to transfer technologies that work in laboratory conditions to an environment that allows for realistic operation and practical experiments. This is, after all, how the first internet infrastructures were born – from experimental connections to technologies of everyday life. Quantum communication is at a similar starting point today, and our aim is to create a space where it will be possible not only to explore new principles but also to test their future application in real-world networks. It is equally important that students, who will one day design and operate such systems, are able to master them,” adds Associate Professor Leoš Boháč.
Studying quantum technologies at CTU
CTU in Prague is currently one of the few universities in the Czech Republic to offer a comprehensive educational pathway in the field of quantum technologies. Thanks to this, a new generation of experts is gaining exposure to current trends in quantum communication, cryptography, quantum computing and future communication networks.
Students can choose from bachelor’s and master’s programmes in Quantum Technologies and Quantum Informatics, focusing on quantum communication, cryptography, quantum computing and related topics. There are also follow-on PhD programmes and research carried out across the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, and the Faculty of Information Technology, as well as other faculties at CTU.
The Faculty of Electrical Engineering at CTU in Prague is primarily involved in teaching at the technological, engineering and applied levels and contributes to the training of specialists capable of working with quantum technologies not only in an academic setting, but also in the context of real-world communication networks, critical infrastructure and industrial applications.
The project’s ambition is to contribute to the development of the future quantum internet and to strengthen the Czech Republic’s technological sovereignty in the fields of secure communications, defence and critical infrastructure.
Another important initiative in the field of quantum technologies at the Czech Technical University in Prague is the Quantum Innovation Center (QIC). Its goal is to advance knowledge in the Czech Republic in the areas of cryptography and its resilience, quantum sensing, advanced communications, and computations for AI optimization and materials engineering. In this case, CTU is collaborating with the University of Defense and leading a project that also involves other universities and research institutes: Charles University, the University of West Bohemia, Palacký University, Masaryk University, Brno University of Technology, and the Czech Academy of Sciences. Thanks to this, the participating institutions can utilize computing capacities on IBM quantum computers or take part in a series of professional and educational workshops.