S5E8: Inside EQTC 2025: Europe’s Quantum Moment

EQTC 2025 - 111625, 1.56 PM

Welcome to Deep Pockets with Petra Soderling, the show about government and innovation. I hope you enjoy today's episode and the music created by a New Orleans jazz icon, Leroy Jones. Find this and other Leroy Jones tunes wherever you get your music.

Inside EQTC 2025. 

Europe's quantum community faces a high stakes moment. This week, [00:01:00] Copenhagen hosted the European Quantum Technologies Conference 2025 (EQTC), an official event of the Danish EU Council presidency, and one of the most important gatherings of Europe's quantum ecosystem, especially for those of us who are into technology and policy.

Coming just months after the adoption of the EU Quantum Strategy and with the EU Quantum Act on the horizon, the timing could not have been better held during the United Nations International year of quantum science and technology. The events brought together researchers, industry leaders, funders, and policy makers to assess Europe's progress and confront gaps that still threaten competitiveness.

For backstory about the International Year of Quantum. If you didn't listen to it already, please go back to season four, episode two, the International Year of Quantum 2025 with Claudia [00:02:00] Fracchiola who runs public engagement at the American Physical Society. I will try to get Claudia to do another episode soon to review how the year has gone.

But anyway, back to EQTC, as I said, the conference was. The conference was organized in Copenhagen, the city of Niels Bohr. Nils Bohr was a Danish physicist who received the 1922 Nobel Prize in physics for his contributions to the understanding, understanding of atomic structure and quantum theory, his model.

Of the atom, which described electrons orbiting the nucleus in specific energy levels, formed the foundation of modern quantum mechanics. Bohr also played a key role in the development of nuclear physics and served as a mentor to other leading physicists like Erwin Schrödinger and Werner Heisenberg. So it was [00:03:00] very fitting that not only A) does Denmark host the EU Council, presidency, B) United Nations, excuse me, United Nations celebrates the hundredth birthday of Quantum.

But C), the conference was hosted by the Institute of Niels Bohr at the University of Copenhagen. Because as as said by the head of Niels Bohr Institute, Joachim Mathiesen, a hundred years ago in the 1920s and 1930s, Niels Bohr’s Copenhagen was a hub of groundbreaking discussions that laid the foundations of quantum mechanics.

As we mark a century of quantum research in 2025, we again. Stand at a moment of rapid advancement and Europe must align its activities through a unified strategy. Over the course of three days, we heard many funny stories and anecdotes about Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrodinger and Albert Einstein [00:04:00] roaming around the streets and beer houses of Copenhagen engaged in deep conversations that transformed the way we look at physics.

The opening ceremony was amazing. We had the King of Denmark, king Frederick X. We had the European Commission Executive Vice President for Technology, sovereignty, commissioner Henna Virkkunen, and we had the who is who from the Danish government. And, uh, as a side note, I don't know if this is political politically correct, but these Danish ministers were all so impressive.

They're young, they're glowing, they're energetic, they are just full of positivity. I was very impressed and, uh, very hopeful for Europe. But even before these dignitaries, there was a musical performance that was so beautiful, so moving that I was fighting back tears, actually had to look away at times, so I don't ruin my [00:05:00] perfectly executed conference makeup.

Um, okay. I have a lot of interviews from the show floor, so not to make this episode too long. Let's get to it. I said that Europe's quantum community faces a high stakes moment. What does that mean? Well, now that Europe has the quantum strategy laid out, it needs to be executed. There were two big themes on that execution that came across.

One, the Grand Challenge. The grand challenge is EU’s response to DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, which aims to determine if it's possible to build an industrial useful quantum computer much faster than conventional predictions. Specifically, DARPA's initiative is designed. To verify and validate if any quantum computing approach can achieve utility scale operation.

Utility scale, meaning its [00:06:00] computational value, exceeds its cost by the year 2033. DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative began in April, 2025, so EU is now about one year behind. The call for proposals for the EU Grand Challenge is now open, and they're looking for companies who can quote, establish a comprehensive technical and financial roadmap that demonstrates the potential of the quantum computer developed by this startup for scientific innovation, economic relevance, and eventual industrial scale deployment.End quote. 

EU is a bit softer than DARPA on its definition of success, but essentially they're looking for the same thing. Deadline for proposals for EU’s grand Challenge is January 8th, so chop chop. If this is something for you. And then two. The [00:07:00] second thing people were excited about the Quantum Act, which will be, as we heard from Oscar Diez, who is the head of sector for quantum computing at the European Commission.

The Quantum Act will be more like the EU Chips Act than the EU AI Act, and this means that it will not be about regulation, but it will be about attracting investment boosting innovation, and most importantly, increasing production capacity. Increasing production capacity, so the Grand Challenge will tell EU what to build, and the Quantum Act will give the region the means to build those things.

So let's move on to the interviews. I will start with Oscar Diez, head of sector for quantum computing at the European Commission, and let him explain the EU quantum strategy and its execution. Immediately after Oscar, we'll have Cecile Perrault who is the vice president at the European Quantum Industry Consortium Quic [00:08:00] for an industry perspective on the Quantum strategy and the upcoming Quantum Act.

Uh, I'm here with Oscar Diez from the European Commission and uh, I would like to ask you, what are the main components of the Quantum Europe strategy? 

Thank you Petra. So the main components, there are five areas in the QU Europe strategy. Uh, the first area is everything that is related to research. Uh, and in the search and and development.

The main focus here is to basically, uh, have, uh, better coordination with between the member states and the European Commission. Uh, this is the main focus. There are of course, different type of calls, like the grand challenges that we have announced last week. Uh, that's the main, the. Say some of the things that we are planning to do on the, on the first area, some of them, as I say, they, they, they started on the second area is everything that is related to infrastructures, to [00:09:00] deployment of, uh, quantum infrastructures.

And here we already started since, uh, quite some time ago. With the deployment. For example, if you, QCI, we have now doing the deployment of, uh, quantum computers and simulators. We are, uh, announced 10 quantum computers and simulators. Some of them, at least five, are already deployed. And, uh, also we are doing deployment of quantum sensing devices like quantum TERs and quantum, um, uh, enhance, uh, MRIs.

This is the, the second area. The third area is everything that is related to the industrialization and the, and the ecosystem. Basically improving the quantum ecosystem at European level, and here we have like two main, let's say, sub areas. One is everything that is related to funding. You know that there is a lot of issues on, especially with.

Private funding when companies want to scale. And the second one, it's the, the part that is more related to industrialization. Like, for example, creation of quantum chips. Like we are launching next year, [00:10:00] six pilot lines. Uh, what call it the stability pilot lines for the production of changing, uh, quantum chips in different technologies.

And this is kind of. Uh, the, the, the third area, if we go to the fourth area, is something that is completely new for us. Well, uh, we have, there is called a space and dual use the space. We have been working, for example, euro qci. I have one of the segments is the space, but on the part that is related to the quantum, uh, to the fence and our use.

It's a little bit more new for, for, for us. We are talking with the, we are, the idea here is try to coordinate together with the European Defense Agency and with digs on the activities that we're doing. And the fifth area is everything that is related to skills. And here we are. One of the main things that we are doing, we will announce it, uh, relatively soon in the next two or three weeks, and it will start next year, is the Quantum Digital Skills Academies.

That this is a big. Project, we are talking about 20 million euros, and we are going to do from basically [00:11:00] secondary, uh, to almost, uh, industrial the, sorry, uh, improving everything that is related to the, to the skills and training for, uh, uh, students, uh, people that are on the workforce and, uh, everything that is ready, for example, to, to degrees or, uh, masters or PhDs.

Thank you.

Petra: So I am here with Cecile Perrault and, uh, I am asking her about the, um, the importance of the European Quantum strategist, the VP at Quic. 

Hi, I'm Cecile Perrault. I'm the Vice President of the European Quantum Industry Consortium and the head of Innovation and Partnerships at Alice and Bob, we are very excited to see the Quantum Act happening because it tells us that the European Commission is mobilizing its energy and its resources to make this critical technology matter inside of the European Commission vision. We saw the vision with the European [00:12:00] strategy in the summer, and we're now seeing the tools they're mobilizing to make it happen.

As quic, we are mobilizing our members to get the feedback for their entire industry so that we can help lead and make those tools happen faster and better.

Petra: After these two EU level speakers, we're going to hear the response from a set of regional operators. We have the perspective from Portugal's Quantum Initiative. We have the perspective of Rand Europe, a policy think tank, and we'll hear from Res, a consulting company that has a long experience in carrying out these EU level deep tech projects.

Okay, I am here with Yasser Omar from the Portuguese Quantum Institute. Could you please, uh, introduce yourself and your organization and, uh, how has the EQTC been for you? 

Hello. Thank [00:13:00] you very much for, for the question. So I am Yasser Omar, I'm a theoretical physicist working in quantum information and quantum technology since 1999.

I'm at the University of Lisbon at Institute's Pure Technical Professor at IST ULisbon and I'm also, uh, the president of the Portuguese Quantum Institute. So the Portuguese Quantum Institute works. On research policy, innovation, education and outreach, uh, in quantum technologies. Um, quantum, uh, EQTC this year has been great.

Congratulations to the organizers. I know how challenging it is because the Portuguese Quantum Institute organized it in Lisbon last year in 2024. So I think this is, uh, they did a great job. This has been extremely interesting. Event. This is our very exciting times with the advent of the Quantum Act here in Europe, but also in Portugal.

We are finally starting to discuss a national quantum strategy. So it's very interesting and important to be here and engage with the colleagues from the other countries, including from outside Europe, which is very [00:14:00] important to develop this field in Portugal and in Europe. 

Petra: Okay, I am here with Dr. Salil Gunashekar from Rand Europe. So, uh, what is Rand Europe doing at the EQTC and how has the show been for you? 

Uh, thank you Petra. Uh, yeah, so, so at Rand Europe we are doing quite a bit of active, proactive work in quantum tech policy. Um, and EQTC has been an absolutely fantastic experience so far because I like, I like the three tracks.

Of, you know, policy, business and scientific sessions. It's been, I think, uh, quite an innovative, um, model that they've tried this time. I should, you know, argue it's been quite successful. So I've used the conference to kind of link up with, with all connections in the quantum policy world and industry world, but also importantly make those new connections, um, at, at, at the conference.

Um, and. I'll be speaking on a panel tomorrow as well on, [00:15:00] uh, um, education skills and workforce development that I'm looking forward to. But, but yeah, overall it's been, uh, a fantastic experience. I think the Danes definitely know how to throw a party and, uh, they've been, you know, a mix of some rarely, uh, high level conversations by, you know, policy makers and ministers.

But I think the, the. The more content focused work on the actual policy issues of the day, um, have been the ones that have been really important and I think, uh, exciting for me.

Petra: Uh, now I'm here with Roman Pacek from Amires Consulting Company and, uh, this is the first consulting company that I'm talking to here at EQTC. And, uh, I really wanna ask Roman. What's it like to be a consultant in the European quantum industry? How do you find your assignments? How do you participate in calls, open calls, and uh, what's it like to be in the European quantum ecosystem?[00:16:00] 

Thanks for the question, Petra. So, um, I work as a quantum community manager in, uh, uh, in Amires, which is a, uh, consulting company, really fo focusing on, uh, horizon Europe as the Cary program for, uh, uh, for r and d support. But we're also involved in a lot of, uh, infrastructure, uh, projects including, uh, Q Test and Q Pilot for.

Uh, for testing and pilot production, but also the, uh, chips, uh, ju pilot lines. So we're heavily involved in the ecosystem from both the perspective of the research projects, but also, um, uh, in a very close contact with the industry through these projects, which are, uh, really industry focused and providing services to the nass, but emerging industry that we have here, uh, in, in Europe.

And, uh, the, the question of what it's like to be a consulting company in this area, I think that, you know, generally [00:17:00] speaking, the, the ecosystem and the community is very, uh, forthcoming and very collaborative, and it still is. And I think that's one of the very. Positive signs about how things work in here.

And we are trying to be, uh, this kind of community and ecosystem player trying to be very active, uh, in it. And, uh, in the long term, that's what actually pays off for a consultancy like us because we are building these long term relationships and, uh. Well, people come to us, you know, and that's, that's the point that we don't really even have to do a lot of business development ourselves because, uh, these long-term relationships that we've had with, uh, big research organizations or companies even before.

Quantum came along, really, uh, is now, uh, paying off and, and, and we are, uh, really, let's say sought after to help, uh, developing the best proposals, uh, for securing the funding and then also running, [00:18:00] uh, the projects themselves.

Petra: Following the regional operators, I'm going to give floor to investors and investee. I attended a side event organized by the EIC, the European Innovation Council, that is the largest investor in European deep tech companies, and I was able to record a clip from the EIC and I was also very lucky to secure an interview with Jan Goetz.

The founder and co CEO of IQM, quantum computers, which is one of Europe's most recent unicorns. And then we hear from the local Danish vc, hardcore, but first Samira Nik from the European Innovation Council. So how do you find the European quantum landscape as they, uh, and it's some from EIC?

Um, I think the quantum landscape in Europe is quite rich. We have really, uh, large number of scientists. Researchers and also very, uh, [00:19:00] promising startups in different, uh, pillars of the quantum. So I think we are doing very well in, uh, quantum technologies, um, from quantum computing, quantum sensing communication, and also software developers are becoming more and more, um, um, let's say.

Uh, visible, uh, in the ecosystem. And I think this is very good, but I think what we need to do is a little bit also, um, focusing on quantum sensing more than we do now because there is a lot of, uh, focus on quantum computing and almost everyone talks about only quantum computing. But I think quantum sensing, we are doing very well in Europe and we need to bring them to market closer to the market because.

There are so many applications for them and they are the closest for dual use as well. So we just need to focus a little bit more on pushing the ones that are really promising and helping them to become bigger and stronger in Europe and also globally. 

Petra: Okay, this is [00:20:00] Jan. Goetz, IQM. So Jan, i, QM, uh, quantum computers has raised that you've raised a lot of money recently.

Uh, what is your secret to your success and what kind of guidance would you give to other European quantum companies in raising money? I don't think there's a silver bullet, uh, for raising money and only this one truth, uh, which makes, uh, everyone successful. I think what is super important. As the quantum industry now matures is to focus on the product and then creating product market fit.

Um, I think we are running now into a new phase where it is really about getting into the commercial markets, and this means across the supply chains actually we need to define products and, and show traction, and this is what investors really are looking for, and especially if you scale. The investments, uh, to larger and larger sums.

The business plan behind it and the revenue forecast, I think are super crucial. So focusing on, on the commercials while of course building on a very solid tech [00:21:00] foundation. So, uh, having the, the technology there and showing that over hopefully the last years you have been developing the technology very credibly and building on this now and towards the product.

I think that's the key to success from my perspective. Okay. That's important. So the question is, thank you. Next up I have Michael Baczyk from Heartcore Capital. So I recently joined, uh, Heartcore Capital, uh, in a mission to really. Ramp up our efforts, uh, in Quantum as we see it as a growing space. Uh, so there has been globally a little bit of a decline in terms of number of startups coming up in Quantum.

Um, but there seems to be a new wave, uh, coming up, uh, very soon. And Europe has. Very good amount of startups. If you combine whole Europe, uh, you get the same number as in the us. Uh, and the startups are active across all [00:22:00] pillars, communication, sensing and computing, as well as post quantum security. Um, so it's, uh, very good direction that is, uh, on the rise right now.

And that's why, uh, I'm joining the fund to manage the quantum portfolio. Great. And how has the show been for? So the show is amazing in terms of the getting to know the ecosystem and also, uh, getting to know some leads, um, in terms of, uh, sourcing. Uh, so there are representatives from different regions, uh, both regional as well as federal governments, uh, that support ecosystems, support entrepreneurs, and they know, uh, quite a few.

Uh, people that are looking, uh, into building business in Quantum and that has been very successful, uh, for me to get to know, uh, these people and engage with them. So, great show [00:23:00] altogether. 

Petra: To close off the interviews, I thought it would be interesting to speak to two quantum hardware companies, one from Finland Who has set up a subsidiary in Colorado v and one from Colorado who has set up subsidiaries in Finland and Denmark, Mabel Quantum. I may or may not have had a hand at making these international connections. as both the Quantum Europe strategy as well as the US National Quantum Initiative. State International relations with like-minded countries is imperative for the global quantum industry to take off, but also for each country separately as the supply chains and the market for quantum products is global. For this reason, the US Ambassador to Denmark was also present at the conference.

I'm here with Tommy Hakulinen from m He is going to introduce himself and [00:24:00] his, uh, company. Uh, and uh, I'm curious to know what is vx, why are they here at EQTC and how has the show been for you? 

Hi Petra. Thanks. So I'm with Vexlum. Vexlum is provider of high power single frequency lasers for quantum application, in particular, atom cooling and ion trapping.

EQTC is a chance to catch up with the industry and meet also end customers. It's been a good show. I've been seeing, uh, old friends and also getting new contacts. 

Petra: Okay, this is Corban. So, uh, introduce yourself and your company please. And, uh, why is an American company in Europe attending the EQTC?

My name is Corban Tillemann-Dick, I'm the founder and CEO of Maybell Quantum and not being here would be more surprising than being here. I guess [00:25:00] Maybell is. An infrastructure company. We sell the picks and shovels that other need, others need to build their quantum systems, and our customers are global because quantum is inherently global.

You look at the historical expertise, and this is a industry where the great mines are coming from all around the world, and if we want to participate in this industry, we have to be a global company. So our first office outside the US was here in Denmark. We now have offices in Finland and Germany as well.

And we see Europe as a essential part of Maybell success.

Petra:So there we have it. Main takeaways, one. Danes definitely do know how to throw a party for pictures and video. Go to my LinkedIn. And two Europe's Quantum community does face a high stakes moment. The elements are there, the momentum, [00:26:00] the drive, the energy, it's all there. And most importantly, this is not just a government initiative.

This is not just a science project, not just a business opportunity. It's all of the above on an international scale, as Corban just said, whether you are in the us, in Asia, in Africa, or Latin America, hop into quantum. The time is now.

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