FUNDACION IMDEA SOFTWARE

Their core work

IMDEA Software is a Madrid-based research institute specializing in the mathematical foundations of software — formal verification, program logics, and cryptographic protocols. They build rigorous methods to prove that software behaves correctly, from cloud databases to distributed ledgers to privacy-preserving computation. Their work spans the full stack from theoretical type systems to practical tools for verifying concurrent and distributed systems, with growing activity in quantum-safe cryptography and secure computation on untrusted infrastructure.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2016–2018), IMDEA Software worked across a broad front: internet governance and anonymity (NEXTLEAP), testing distributed systems (ELASTEST), and foundational work on cloud database consistency (RACCOON). From 2019 onward, their focus sharpened decisively toward cryptography, security, and formal verification — with projects on distributed ledger acceleration (ACCORD), quantum key distribution (OPENQKD), and a major ERC grant on cryptographic privacy for untrusted computation (PICOCRYPT). The trajectory is clear: from general distributed systems research toward security-critical formal methods and applied cryptography.

IMDEA Software is converging on privacy-preserving cryptography and post-quantum security — expect them to be a strong partner for future EU projects in secure digital infrastructure and trustworthy AI.

How they like to work

IMDEA Software leads more often than it follows: 4 of 7 projects as coordinator, including both high-value ERC grants (Mathador, PICOCRYPT at ~€2M each). Their coordinated projects tend to be smaller, focused research efforts (often ERC or MSCA individual fellowships), while their participant roles are in larger multi-partner consortia like OPENQKD and ELASTEST. With 57 unique partners across 15 countries, they maintain a wide collaborative network rather than relying on a small circle of repeat partners.

57 unique consortium partners across 15 countries demonstrate a broad European network. Their participation in large testbed projects (OPENQKD) alongside focused ERC grants gives them connections ranging from telecom operators and quantum hardware providers to academic theory groups.

What sets them apart

IMDEA Software occupies a rare intersection: they combine deep theoretical expertise in formal verification (type theory, program logics) with hands-on work in applied cryptography and distributed systems engineering. Most formal methods groups stay theoretical; most security labs stay empirical — IMDEA bridges both. Their two consecutive ERC grants (Consolidator + Starting) confirm that their principal investigators are among the top-ranked researchers in Europe in these fields.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PICOCRYPT
  Their latest and largest project (€2M ERC grant, running to 2026), tackling the critical problem of performing computation on machines you don't trust — directly relevant to cloud security and data sovereignty.
• Mathador
  €2M ERC Consolidator Grant on concurrent software verification using dependent type theory — signals deep foundational strength and sustained ERC-level research quality.
• OPENQKD
  Pan-European quantum key distribution testbed — positions IMDEA at the intersection of formal methods and quantum-safe infrastructure, a rare and valuable combination.