Post-quantum cryptography firm PQShield has entered a cooperative research and development agreement with the US National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE), part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The collaboration aims to ease the adoption of post-quantum cryptography by businesses and organisations in the wake of the Quantum Preparedness Act.

The US government has passed the Quantum Preparedness Act, requiring US government agencies protecting national security systems and related assets to adopt quantum-resistant cryptography algorithms by 2025. NIST is currently standardising quantum-resistant public-key cryptographic algorithms, and PQShield will provide insights into real-world implementation of quantum-resistant cryptography into software, hardware, and advanced protocols, and offer guidance on how organisations can identify which hardware, software, and services require upgrading. PQShield was also one of several firms that contributed to four quantum-resistant algorithms chosen by NIST for standardisation in May 2022.