On Wednesday 22nd November, the PRISM consortium, which seeks to set up a groundbreaking quantum communications network in Malta, hosted a seminar titled “A New Kind of Cybersecurity: Quantum-Secured Networking in Malta”.
The seminar commenced with a message of support from Dr Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament. She emphasised the importance of Malta making a pioneering effort at the national level by means of PRISM, as well as how beneficial it could be to Europe in future. The seminar, which featured several keynote speakers and panel discussions, was held at the University of Malta. It included a talk by Prof. André Xuereb, CEO of Merqury Cybersecurity, which dealt with the importance of quantum-secured networking and how it is gradually being developed by PRISM in Malta. The second keynote was from Vanesa Diaz, CEO of leading European Quantum technology company, LuxQuanta, who discussed the technical aspects that are making quantum key distribution (QKD) possible.
Additionally, there were panel discussions and several networking sessions in which notable professionals from the private and public sector shared their insights on the development of this cutting-edge technology and its implications. The first panel, moderated by Jamie Tabone, a consultant at RSM, discussed emerging technologies in cybersecurity, with Engineer Andrew Farrugia, Head of Marketing and Solutions at Umnai, Dr Noel Farrugia, Chief Technical Officer at Merqury Cybersecurity, Angele Giuliano, Managing Director at AcrossLimits, Simon Montanaro, Director at Melita, and Trevor Sammut, Senior Technology Architect at the Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA). Furthermore, the second panel discussion focused on present-day cybersecurity threats, in which Jamie Tabone’s moderation and questions from the audience engaged the panellists in insightful discussion. Giving their contributions to the panel were Dr Stefan Buttigieg, Resident Specialist at the Ministry for Health, Robert Muscat, Information Security Specialist at Malta Information & Technology Agency (MITA), Maria Sapinska, Manager at Accelar8 and Co-founder & Director of NoID, and Matthew Yeomans, Director at the Critical Infrastructure Protection Directorate (CIPD).
About PRISM
Hosted by PRISM, “Physical Security for Public Infrastructure in Malta,” this EU co-funded project aims to establish a country-wide ultra-secure quantum communications network. There are seven Maltese partners in the project. The project is being coordinated by RSM Malta, while Merqury Cybersecurity Limited is leading the technical efforts in collaboration with Melita Limited, Umnai Limited, and the University of Malta. Additionally, the public sector plays an active role in the project through the involvement of Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA) and the Critical Infrastructure Protection Directorate within the Ministry for Home Affairs, Security, Reforms, and Equality, both of which have a keen interest in the development of this ultra-secure network.
European Collaboration
PRISM aligns with the European Commission’s extensive efforts to develop a Europe-wide Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI). As Malta’s designated project within this initiative, PRISM will spearhead the development of a quantum-secure network across the Maltese islands and its connection to the wider European network.
This project is co-funded by the European Union under the Digital Europe Programme grant agreement number 101111875. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
