Q*Bird Secures €7.5M to Accelerate Europe’s Quantum Communication Networks
Q*Bird has secured a total of €7.5 million in funding, a package combining grant and equity support from the EIC Accelerator. The capital will be applied to scale production and deploy Measurement-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution, or MDI-QKD, across Europe. MDI-QKD mitigates detector-side vulnerabilities by moving trust away from measurement devices, offering a robust defensive posture against both classical and quantum-enabled attacks.
Building Digital Sovereignty with Advanced Quantum Security
Part of the funding is earmarked for an orchestration layer that enables multi-operator, multi-domain quantum networks. That software layer, paired with increased manufacturing capacity, is intended to allow private and public actors to interconnect secure links while retaining local control over keys and services. This model directly supports European policy objectives for digital independence by reducing dependence on external vendors and enabling a federated quantum internet under regional governance.
Operational Readiness and Future Infrastructure
Q*Bird’s MDI-QKD approach is already field proven. Notable real-world deployments include the Port of Rotterdam, a metropolitan network in Madrid, and a 132 km Benelux cross-border link. These projects demonstrate practical interoperability and operational maturity.
The company’s Falqon® QKD architecture is built for a hub-and-spoke topology that scales with interoperable nodes and central hubs. With EIC-backed capital, Q*Bird plans to extend these deployments into continental-scale fabrics suitable for telecom operators, government agencies, and defense networks.
This round positions Europe to advance from isolated testbeds toward a resilient, sovereign quantum communication infrastructure capable of protecting critical services for decades.
