Objective
Belfort develops breakthrough hardware acceleration for Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE), a cryptographic technology that allows computation directly on encrypted data. This solves one of the most pressing problems in digital society: today, encrypted sensitive data must be decrypted before processing, exposing it to theft, misuse, or breaches while 'in use'. In finance, healthcare, government, and cloud computing, this creates a “data in use” security gap where the most sensitive information is most vulnerable.
FHE closes this gap by enabling operations on encrypted data without ever revealing the underlying information. Medical records can be analyzed without disclosure, financial institutions can detect fraud without exposing customer data, and governments can collaborate across borders without compromising sovereignty. Its potential is transformative, but until now FHE has been impractical: on conventional Central Processing Units (CPUs) it can run up to 100,000 times slower than ordinary computation, making it too costly and energy-intensive to use at scale.
Belfort’s innovation changes this. Building on ERC-funded research, we are developing a dedicated Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) accelerator for encrypted computing. It introduces patented architectural breakthroughs that cut the time, cost, and energy of FHE operations by 50–200× compared to current FPGA prototype, and up to 2000× compared to CPUs. Unlike competing approaches, Belfort integrates seamlessly with leading FHE software, enabling immediate adoption without rewriting applications.
By making encrypted computing fast, affordable, and energy-efficient, Belfort unlocks privacy-preserving AI, finance, healthcare, and cloud services. This project establishes the foundation for the first commercially viable FHE accelerator, transforming encrypted computing from promise into practice and strengthens EU leadership in privacy-enhancing technologies against US and Asian initiatives.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-EIC - HORIZON EIC Grants
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2025-TRANSITIONOPEN
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3000 Leuven
Belgium
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.