Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia disseminates information regarding highlighted projects funded by ERC in frames of Consolidator Grants call 2018

ERC 2018 CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS HIGHLIGHTED PROJECTS

1. Refugee protection in East-Central Europe in the 20th century

During the 20^th century, East-Central Europe became a destination for numerous people fleeing war and persecution. During the WWI and after the dissolution of the Habsburg Monarchy, nation states and their societies were repeatedly forced to negotiate the meaning of asylum and take decisions about the protection of vulnerable refugees. Today we also witness the worldwide phenomenon of a large-scale forced migration. According to the UNHCR, 68.5 million people are forcibly displaced in all corners of the world, posing a challenge to countries and international organizations to take action and see human beings behind the statistics. However, in the context of the current refugee crisis, East-Central Europe does not appear as an open and accepting refuge.

In this project, an international research team led by Dr. Michal Frankl will study the multifaceted aspects of refugee migration and reception in the 20th century, using comparative historical research combined with multi-disciplinary approaches. The focus on responses to forced migration over a long period of time and a wide territory rather than specific groups and instances will enable the researchers to gain major insights which could significantly contribute to the field of global refugee history. The research aims to embed the current discussion of refugee protection in the historical context of East-Central Europe and thus provide impulses and cultivate the current and future scientific and political debate.

Funding: € 1,995,950 for five years

1. Improving quantum cryptography

Securing digital communication channels is an important issue in the modern world, given the amount of sensitive data that we exchange every day. Up to now, this was achieved via the use of cryptographic protocols, based on the assumption that it is very difficult for computers to perform certain mathematical operations. The near-future advent of quantum computers, with their new computational capabilities, will require abandoning classical cryptography for novel quantum protocols. Proving the mathematical propositions involved in their development is quite challenging, especially given the fact that the human intuition is better adapted to reason within the classical world, and is more prone to errors in the quantum realm.

Prof. Dominique Unruh will develop new methods for verifying the cryptographic security of these mathematical proofs with the help of computers. This will require designing novel logics and software tools, to be applied to classical protocols to secure them against quantum computers, as well as to proper quantum protocols. The aim is of the project is to improve the security of cryptographic protocols in the upcoming quantum age, and to remove one possible source of human error. It will also give researchers new ways to test the validity of their mathematical proofs.

Funding: € 1,716,475 for five years