INESC-ID

Tag: Horizon Europe

  • Getting ready for the quantum era. INESC-ID joins European effort to strengthen cybersecurity and quantum resilience

    Getting ready for the quantum era. INESC-ID joins European effort to strengthen cybersecurity and quantum resilience

    Quantum computing is a serious threat to today’s cryptographic systems. A strong reason for the European Defence Fund (EDF) to invest in the development of quantum-resistant solutions for the defense sector. One of these initiatives is project SEQURED: Strengthening Defense Networks for the Quantum Era, launched May, 1st.

    With a duration of 36 months and a budget of nearly four million euros, SEQURED brings together nine partners across Europe, including INESC-ID, to develop next-generation encryption tools, digital signatures, and secure data-sharing mechanisms.

    As quantum technologies evolve, so do the risks posed to current cryptographic systems and so SEQURED aims to develop innovative solutions to ensure that both private and public sector organisations can protect their data against the emerging threat of quantum-enabled cyberattacks.

    This international consortium of academic and industry partners is funded by Horizon Europe programme and is under the European Commission’s broader strategy for digital sovereignty and security. The project focuses on real-world applications of post-quantum cryptography (PQC), ensuring that today’s encrypted communications remain secure tomorrow, even in a post-quantum world. It also integrates cutting-edge cybersecurity practices with privacy-by-design principles and compliance with evolving EU regulations.

    At INESC-ID, funded with €359k, researchers contribute their expertise in cryptographic algorithms, architectures, and secure system design, leading the project’s work package in these areas.  Leonel Sousa, the projects’ PI, is taking part at the kick off meeting, happening May 19 and 20, in Greece.

    Images | © 2025 IBM

  • Faster, Higher, Stronger: INESC-ID Joins Project ACHILLES to Redefine AI

    Faster, Higher, Stronger: INESC-ID Joins Project ACHILLES to Redefine AI

    In Greek legend, Achilles was a hero with a single vulnerability—his heel. Similarly, the “Achilles’ heels” of modern AI systems are trust and efficiency. The recently launched ACHILLES Horizon Europe Project (“Human-Centred Machine Learning: Lighter, Clearer, Safer”) aims to address these critical weaknesses.

    Bringing together 16 organizations from 10 countries, ACHILLES has significant Portuguese involvement. Led by Fraunhofer Portugal Research (FhAICOS) as the coordinating partner, INESC-ID plays a key role with six researchers leading the Work Package (WP) on AI sustainability and contributing to the WP on Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning and Model Monitoring. Paolo Romano, from Distributed Parallel and Secure Systems, coordinates INESC-ID’s participation, which has a budget of nearly one million euros.

    The ACHILLES team seeks to drive responsible AI innovation in line with European values and regulations. Moving away from the traditional “Faster, Higher, Stronger” approach—borrowed from the Olympics, another iconic Greek reference—ACHILLES champions a new framework: “Lighter, Clearer, Safer,” reflecting the evolving demands of modern AI.

    “At the heart of ACHILLES is an iterative development cycle inspired by clinical trials,” explained André Carreiro, Senior Scientist and ACHILLES Project Coordinator.

    A standout innovation within the project is the ACHILLES Integrated Development Environment (IDE), a machine-learning-driven platform empowering developers to build AI solutions that are not only more effective and efficient but also responsible and ethically compliant. The project will validate its approaches through real-world applications in healthcare, identity verification, content creation, and pharmaceuticals, demonstrating its transformative potential across diverse sectors.

    Funded with over €8 million under the Horizon Europe Framework Program, on the cluster of digital, industry and space, ACHILLES is set to redefine the way we approach AI, ensuring it aligns with the values and expectations of modern society.