GIST teams up with Switzerland to develop next-generation quantum communication technology

The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) is expanding international joint research with the University of Bern in Switzerland to develop next-generation quantum communication technology. The two institutions plan to establish bilateral research hubs and verify the stable transmission of quantum information between research facilities approximately 57 kilometers apart.

GIST announced Wednesday that its Advanced Photonics Research Institute (APRI) held an opening ceremony for the Korea-Switzerland Joint Research Office at the University of Bern's Institute of Applied Physics (IAP) on Friday (local time).

Having opened a joint research office at GIST's Advanced Photonics Research Institute in September, the two institutions have now established a research base in Switzerland as well, completing a bilateral cooperative framework linking both countries.

GIST's Advanced Photonics Research Institute and the University of Bern's IAP have collaborated in the fields of laser and optics since 2009. More recently, they have expanded their research scope into next-generation quantum science and technology, including quantum communication and quantum optics.

A flagship area of joint research is long-distance free-space quantum communication — a technology that transmits quantum information through open air rather than optical fiber, with potential applications in next-generation secure communications and satellite-based quantum communication.

The two institutions are currently conducting joint research to verify the stability of long-distance quantum information transmission by linking the University of Bern's Zimmerwald Observatory with the Jungfraujoch high-altitude research facility approximately 57 kilometers away.

GIST researchers visited the Jungfraujoch Sphinx Observatory, located at an altitude of approximately 3,571 meters above sea level, on Thursday to inspect the research facilities and assess the local research environment. The following day, they met at the University of Bern's IAP to discuss the direction of future joint research.

The two institutions plan to use the newly established joint research offices to share research progress and identify follow-up projects in free-space quantum communication and quantum optics. They also intend to expand the exchange of research personnel.

Earlier, the two institutions signed an MOU to expand joint research at the 2026 GIST Korea-Switzerland Quantum Photonics Technology Forum held at GIST in September. About 70 researchers and officials from both countries attended the forum, sharing the latest research findings and discussing avenues for cooperation.

Lee Young-rak, director of GIST's Advanced Photonics Research Institute, said establishing joint research hubs in both Korea and Switzerland "is significant in that it provides a foundation for researchers from both countries to communicate continuously and pursue joint research," adding that the institute aims to "produce tangible research outcomes in free-space quantum communication and quantum optics."