1. Bernhard Schrenk, a researcher at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, has been awarded an ERC Proof-of-Concept Grant for developing a new method to realize quantum-optical transmitters based on silicon. 2. This new method, which successfully demonstrated the generation of quantum states for the first time at AIT, enables the future deployment of the European quantum communication network in cost-sensitive segments. 3. The ERC Grants recognize Schrenk's long-term research, positioning him at the forefront of European research, and highlight AIT's leading role in quantum communication.