QSNP Coordinator Valerio Pruneri presents at Quantum Technologies in Europe

Spain Showcases Quantum Leadership with Madrid Conference

On July 1st, Spain took over the presidency of the European Council, as part of its agenda, it co-organized the “Quantum Technologies in Europe” event in Madrid on November 22-23, together with Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, through the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and the Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FECYT), the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the European projects Quantum Flagship and QUANTERA and the Fundación Ramón Aceres.

In words of the Ministry, the event brought together experts from all over Europe to address the quantum technologies challenges.

Quantum Technologies in Europe featured more than 20 top-tier European speakers, including the winner of 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics Professor Serge Haroche (France), and 2022 winner Professor Anton Zeilinger (Austria), as well as Spanish Professor Juan Ignacio Cirac, awarded the Príncipe de Asturias prize in 2006.

Domènec Espriu, General Director of AEI, hosted the conference. Other officials from the field, such as Raquel Yotti, General Secretary of Research at the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and Carmen Artigas, Secretary of State for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence, also attended.

Valerio Pruneri on Europe’s Quantum Initiatives and the Path Towards Quantum Security

QSNP Coordinator, ICREA Professor at ICFO Valerio Pruneri, talked about the European context in Quantum Technologies. Europe’s main objective, EuroQCI’s deployment, requires the research and development of the technologies and devices that will make possible a quantum connected continent. To accomplish this goal, each country is working on their own network that will be connected to the larger European infrastructure.

As part of Europe’s collective efforts, the Quantum Flagship counts with QSNP and QIA in the communications area, in charge of design and development of technology. Quantum Secure Networks Partnership is developing technologies that guarantee quantum safety in the networks as well as integrating and deploying pilot tests of said technology at all levels. He mentioned other European initiatives such as QUANGO and QUDICE, currently working on developing quantum communications in space. Pruneri also highlighted the relevance of industrial spin-offs such as Quside and Luxquanta, which are developing the devices needed to establish a quantum network like quantum random number generator and quantum key distributors.

Pruneri also discussed the Spanish Complementary Plan for Quantum Communications. He will assume coordination of this plan in January 2024, replacing Vicente Martin, a professor at UPM. This program serves as a pilot test in Spain for the future EuroQCI, the European quantum communications and quantum internet network. EuroQCI will expand throughout Europe and provide an additional layer of security to protect the transmission of sensitive information. The program’s goal is to contribute to the development of quantum internet, encompassing communication, computing, sensing, and simulation.

 

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