OC#9 2026

The societal impact of the action is in supporting European’s leading role in quantum technologies. Quantum engineering is expected to revolutionize industry on an unprecedented scale, surpassing technological revolutions witnessed so far.It is important for Europe and its citizens to be at the forefront of these developments as they will define economic and hence societal position of the EU in the future.
European leaders understand potential of quantum technologies and allocate adequate means to support research and development in this domain with programs such as the Quantum Flagship (QF) or the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI).

Europe is already a world-leader in the scientific research and industrialisation of quantum technologies, especially with regards to quantum communication and quantum computation technologies. My fellowship will strengthen European influence on quantum standards and by assuming a strong position on quantum technologies from industrial, academic and standardisation angles, Europe will be in a stronger position to establish a global competitive edge in this field.

This activity will strengthen European influence on quantum standards and by assuming a strong position on quantum technologies from industrial, academic and standardisation angles, Europe will be in a stronger position to establish a global competitive edge in this field.

European participation and influence in quantum standards groups will be critical to provide a boost across the European supply-chain enabling a larger European quantum market.
The potential benefits to society of quantum networks and quantum computers will be huge. Quantum safe networks will be required to send confidential data securely over appreciable distances and quantum computers will allow impossible world-scale simulations to be carried out in reasonable times.
Europe is already a world-leader in the scientific research and industrialisation of quantum technologies, especially with regards to quantum communication and quantum computation technologies. The key outcome of this fellowship was the successful establishment of IEC TC86 WG11 on Quantum Optical Interconnect as an active and growing Working Group. This new WG11 is strategically critical as its standards will strongly underpin quantum communication and networks, as well as contributing to all other quantum pillars.
By ensuring European SMEs participate actively in this new WG to apply Europe aligned positions on quantum technologies from ethical, industrial and academic angles, European influence on quantum standards will be strengthened and European society will be in a stronger position to establish a global competitive edge in this field.
These areas align well with strengths and expertise in European academic institutions and smaller start-up companies. Thus I have during this fellowship leveraged my extended network to increase involvement of the nascent European quantum industry, drawing primarily on UK. Swiss and EU entities for future support of and contributions to the new working group, thereby establishing strong European influence from the outset. I have successfully grown the membership to 39 members and I expect this to continue to grow rapidly now that we have started developing strategically critical new standards, in particular for quantum grade connectors.

Toward the development of EU-friendly solutions for biometrics-based services, employing strong privacy enhancing technologies, thus going further contractual/organisational requirements, to ensure privacy and security by design. Promoting the use of the newest privacy enhancing technologies is in particular very important (biometric technologies are more and more seen as a way to fight against authentication/identification threats in our digital lives) as sharing or leaking biometric information without appropriate protection can be very critical.

Extending AI enabled PV concepts, systems definitions, architectures, use cases and technical specifications of processes and devices under the EITCI SESG (Smart Energy Standards Group hosted under EITCI Institute) AIPV WG, as well as in a dissemination combined with seeking a liason in cooperation with experts joining the CENELEC / IEC-TC CLC/TC-82 (Solar photovoltaic energy systems) and the CLC/TC-57 (Power systems management and associated information exchange) for power systems control equipment and systems including EMS (Energy Management Systems) and SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition).

AI assisted smart PV systems enhance efficiency and performance of solar energy. By optimizing design, production, deployment and operation of PV, AI can maximize energy generation, leading to increased renewable energy adoption, reducing reliance on fossil fuels. This is especially important in the context of the challenging international situatio, as well as helps mitigate the environmental impact of energy production and addressing the problem of the related climate change.
Standardisation driven adoption of AI enabled smart PV technology supports transition to a cleaner and more sustainable energy future globally. AI enabled smart PV systems can greatly enhance resilience of the energy infrastructure in general. By generating electricity in an optimized way closer to the point of consumption, they reduce vulnerability to power outages and disruptions. Moreover, in remote or off-grid areas, smart PV technology can provide reliable and decentralized energy solutions, promoting energy independence and access to electricity. Finally the dynamic market uptake of AI enabled smart PV technology supported by standardisation efforts will generate demand for new, skilled professionals in areas joining competences in PV and AI/ML. This creates employment opportunities and contributes to society economic growth. Additionally, the growth of the renewable energy sector can stimulate private investments and foster innovation, leading to new business ventures and entrepreneurship.
Discussion on the AI assisted smart PV standards social impacts took place on the 2022 SET (Strategic Energy Technology) Plan Conference where I was invited as a speaker by the European Commission.The European Commission’s SET Plan Conference is a major European energy policy event, shaping the EU’s energy future.

In terms of broader European interests, my fellowship contributes to EU goals of digital sovereignty, user empowerment, and privacy leadership on the global stage. As the EUDI wallet is adopted across Europe, this framework will provide a scalable model for data protection and user-centric identity management that can be extended beyond digital wallets to other data-sharing contexts, enhancing Europe’s role as a privacy leader. With data privacy becoming a key competitive factor, this initiative not only strengthens the protection of EU citizens’ rights but also sets a high standard for digital identity solutions globally.

My work supports fundamental societal values by helping define how citizens can safely and transparently share their personal data through the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet. At the heart of this is the development of access control standards that ensure individuals are not just passive data subjects, but active participants who can decide what data is shared, with whom, under what conditions, and for what declared purpose.
By enabling these controls through enforceable, machine-readable policies, the standard empowers users to exercise real agency over their digital identity—moving beyond consent screens toward meaningful privacy protections embedded in the architecture of the wallet itself. This aligns with the EU’s commitment to privacy, data minimisation, and purpose limitation under the GDPR.
The work also supports societal inclusion by ensuring that access control mechanisms are transparent and usable, helping citizens understand their rights and obligations, while also simplifying compliance for service providers. The inclusion of ISO/IEC 27560 in this framework ensures that all lawful bases for processing—not just consent—are clearly documented and traceable, which is especially important for use cases like healthcare, education, or public services.
Importantly, the open availability of ISO/IEC 27560 as a free standard lowers the barrier for adoption, supporting uptake by public administrations, SMEs, and civil society. This ensures that privacy-enhancing technologies are not limited to large commercial actors, but can benefit all layers of European society.
Overall, this work contributes to a more trustworthy, transparent, and citizen-centric digital identity ecosystem—one that upholds European values while supporting innovation, cross-border interoperability, and regulatory alignment.