A European project, EQUIP, will deliver open-source demonstrations of quantum-safe cryptography at Technology Readiness Level 4, moving beyond theoretical research toward practical tools. The consortium of three academic institutions, two deep-tech SMEs, and one industry partner aims to systematically address vulnerabilities in Post-Quantum Cryptography implementations. EQUIP structures its work around five objectives, including security testing aligned with the Cyber Resilience Act and EU Cybersecurity Certification Schemes. The project will adopt a design-test-attack cycle to enhance security and performance across IoT , automotive and cloud platforms.
EQUIP Project: Securing Post-Quantum Cryptography Against Side-Channel Attacks
This commitment to tangible outputs distinguishes the project, as it focuses on creating implementations directly applicable to Internet of Things devices, automotive systems and cloud infrastructure. The project’s approach centers on a “design–test–attack cycle,” iteratively refining security and performance by actively seeking vulnerabilities in its own creations. This focus on legal frameworks is not merely procedural. The project aims to create implementations that are demonstrably verifiable against established standards.
Researchers are also creating secure and efficient PQC implementations with novel countermeasures, experimentally validating them on embedded systems, FPGA hardware and CPUs . This multi-platform approach acknowledges the diverse computational environments where cryptography will ultimately need to function. A key element of the project involves systematizing knowledge through taxonomy-driven analysis, addressing the current fragmentation in the field of secure PQC implementation.
The team intends to move beyond isolated solutions to narrow challenges, supporting coordination among experts to redefine how PQC algorithms are engineered for real-world use. The project documentation states that while initial PQC standards achieve mathematical security, their resilience against side-channel and fault attacks remains a key deployment challenge, highlighting the need for an approach that considers both algorithmic strength and practical vulnerabilities. Technikon Forschungs- und Planungsgesellschaft mbH, a private for-profit entity, is one of two deep-tech SMEs participating in the project, contributing expertise in secure and efficient implementations.
Alongside Technikon, Tampereen korkeakoulu saatio sr, a Finnish higher education establishment, and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, a Belgian university, are also involved. The consortium’s composition deliberately blends academic research with the practical application of technology, bridging the gap between algorithm design and real-world deployment.
The total costs incurred by each organization to participate in the project are being tracked as part of the overall budget. The project’s funding originates from the HORIZON-RIA scheme, a Research and Innovation Action within the broader HORIZON Europe program. Specifically, EQUIP falls under the HORIZON-CL3-2025-02-CS-ECCC-05 call, focused on the security of implementations of Cryptography algorithms. This targeted funding emphasises the European Union’s commitment to securing its digital infrastructure against the threat of quantum computers.
Researchers at Technische Universität Graz are also contributing to the effort, adding further academic weight to the consortium. This emphasis on open science and knowledge sharing is intended to maximize the impact of the project’s results, ensuring that the benefits of secure PQC implementations are widely available, as indicated by the project coordinator through keywords such as “secure and efficient PQC implementation.”
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