AFWERX and Department of Air Force Award Qrypt with STTR Phase 1 Contract

Qrypt will partner with cybersecurity education leader, University of Texas at San Antonio, to strengthen national defenses against quantum threats

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Qrypt, the pioneering quantum-secure encryption company, has announced AFWERX has selected it for an STTR Phase 1 contract focused on Qrypt’s quantum-secure encryption solution to address the most pressing challenges in the Department of Air Force (DAF).

The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/SSTR program in 2018, which expanded the range of innovations funded, and now on December 12, 2023, Qrypt began its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.

Qrypt’s quantum-secure encryption solution uniquely eliminates key transmission and addresses the immediate threat posed by “harvest now, decrypt later” (HNDL) attacks. The company’s Quantum Key Generation (QKG) enables the independent generation of encryption keys at various endpoints without transmission. This not only eliminates key transmission vulnerabilities but also directly mitigates the quantum threat. DAF relies on encrypted communications and data for mission-critical operations. This collaboration addresses the vulnerabilities of traditional methods and emerging quantum threats like HNDL attacks through quantum-secure encryption.

“As the quantum era quickly approaches, so does the quantum threat. Qrypt remains at the forefront of cybersecurity innovation, addressing the imminent threat of quantum computing, and is committed to safeguarding our national security,” said Denis Mandich, chief technology officer and co-founder at Qrypt. “This award is just the first step in advancing quantum-secure encryption to protect critical communications and sectors from advanced attacks.”

Qrypt is partnering with the National Security Collaboration Center (NSCC) at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) to evaluate the use of Qrypt’s solution on DAF-specific use-cases and challenges applying quantum-resistant encryption. UTSA is a United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) Academic Engagement Network partner.

“Quantum security education and research are essential to our national security,” said Charles Cosnowski, Research Lead at the NSCC. “Through this collaboration and contract, we can work with Qrypt to strengthen national defense capabilities and advance quantum-resistant cryptography.”

To learn more about Qrypt’s offerings, visit www.qrypt.com.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

About Qrypt

Qrypt protects against the quantum threat through the seamless integration of quantum entropy hardware with cryptographic key generation software. When traditional encryption algorithms become obsolete, every byte of harvested data will be exposed. Qrypt eliminates “harvest now, decrypt later” (HNDL) risk and guarantees data privacy with its revolutionary peer-reviewed encryption technology. Available as-a-service, on-premises, or on any device. For more information and to learn more about Qrypt, visit www.qrypt.com.

About AFRL

The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit www.afresearchlab.com.

About AFWERX

As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 325 military, civilian and contractor personnel at six hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed 4,697 contracts worth more than $2.6 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: www.afwerx.com.

About NSCC

The National Security Collaboration Center, Texas’ largest hub for government, university, and industry partners in national security, advances research and innovation in forensics, visualization, cybersecurity, data analytics, post-quantum cryptography, attack and threat modeling and mitigation, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and software, hardware and platform integrity. Additional areas of collaboration include training and exercise evaluation, workforce development and educational opportunities for students and the broader military community. For more information, visit: https://nscc.utsa.edu/