Federal Grant Award Summary

Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) received a $200,002 Project Grant award, effective May 15, 2026, under the National Science Foundation's Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) program (CFDA 47.070). This collaborative research initiative focuses on developing post-quantum cryptographic protocols with advanced functionalities to secure digital infrastructure against future threats from large-scale quantum computers. The project addresses a critical gap in current cryptographic standards by designing and analyzing protocols that support advanced features including blind signatures, threshold signatures, multisignatures, and verifiable random functions. Utilizing algebraic structures derived from lattices, error-correcting codes, group actions, and isogeny-based cryptography, the research will deliver provably secure cryptographic schemes grounded in well-defined computational assumptions through rigorous security proofs.

The research will be conducted at Virginia Tech's Blacksburg, Virginia campus through April 30, 2029, with expected deliverables encompassing new cryptographic schemes, conceptual advances in algebraic methods for post-quantum cryptography, and contributions to student training in this critical field. The project emphasizes improvements in efficiency, security, and scalability of post-quantum cryptographic protocols and employs zero-knowledge proofs and group action frameworks as central methodological tools. These outcomes will support the transition of cryptographic infrastructure to quantum-resistant alternatives, addressing emerging applications including decentralized systems and privacy-preserving protocols that require more sophisticated cryptographic capabilities than current standardized primitives provide.