Inauguration of the new research building at Fraunhofer IOF: A new boost for QuNET and secure quantum communication ‘Made in Jena’
Jena, 10 March 2026 – The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF) officially inaugurated its new research building with a ceremony.
During their visit, Federal Minister for Research Dorothee Bär and Thuringia’s Minister-President Mario Voigt praised the institute’s central role in the development of secure quantum communication in Germany. The IOF’s third extension to date offers new laboratories, cleanrooms and high-tech facilities, including a state-of-the-art electron beam lithography system for the manufacture of photonic components, as well as a ground station for satellite-based quantum communication. This infrastructure particularly strengthens work within the QuNET research initiative, which develops highly secure, quantum-based communication systems for government and critical infrastructure.
To this end, researchers at Fraunhofer IOF are developing, among other things, novel light sources, single-photon sources and optical systems capable of reliably transmitting entangled or individual photons via fibre-optic and free-space links, as well as from space. A milestone on this path was the successful demonstration of so-called ‘flying quantum channels’, in which quantum states were transmitted via a research aircraft to a ground station and detected there. The new research building in Jena now provides the spatial and technical conditions to continue such experiments, extend them over greater distances and integrate them into a future quantum communication network.
A key part of the inauguration celebrations was the presentation of the QuNET white paper. This document outlines the current state of play, future prospects and key priorities for a research agenda aimed at developing quantum-secure information networks in Germany and Europe. The document highlights the central role of quantum communication for information security in public administrations and government bodies, as well as the need to seamlessly integrate quantum-based technologies into existing and future network architectures. It is clear that progress in this field requires close cooperation at both national and international levels. Germany is contributing its leading position in photonics and quantum research to help shape global quantum networks in collaboration with European projects and international partners. In this context, photonics acts as a key technology for value creation and innovation, ranging from nanophotonics and large-scale optics to integrated circuits, which are crucial for the industrial realisation of quantum-based information networks and their long-term competitiveness.
Another key focus is on the development and implementation of quantum-based security mechanisms to protect critical communication networks. As part of the QuNET initiative, numerous key experiments have already been carried out in this regard, testing new methods for secure government communications and the protection of critical infrastructure. These demonstrations took place in Bonn, Jena and Berlin, as well as in Oberpfaffenhofen/Erlangen, and mark important milestones on the path towards a future-proof, quantum-secure communications infrastructure.
