Reflections from EQTC 2025
Last week, some of our quantum team were lucky enough to attend this year’s European Quantum Technologies Conference, hosted by the Danish EU Council Presidency.
Copenhagen - home to the Niels Bohr Institute - has a rich history in quantum physics, and we were excited to gather alongside policymakers, politicians, entrepreneurs, academics, and large tech, in addition to the King of Denmark, to discuss how Europe can secure a leading position in the commercialisation of quantum.
It was almost impossible not to feel a sense of pride as the keynote hosts and panellists emphasised the leadership of Europe’s research institutions across technology and the sciences, highlighting the brilliant innovation taking place. With such academic ‘gravitas’ and a strong talent pool, it’s no wonder Europe believes it should be leading the global effort on quantum. So what's stopping Europe from leading the race? The US and China are also very established in their scientific excellence and are gaining a competitive advantage by mobilising capital and quickly defining their scalability roadmaps.
Being successful in quantum, as Marie Bjerre, Danish Minister for European Affairs, pointed out, isn’t just about having the best ideas. It hinges on making those ideas a reality, requiring adequate funding, risk appetite, manufacturing capabilities, secure and stable supply chains, and more. This is what Europe lacks that its counterparts have in abundance.
The praise for European research was quickly counter-balanced by urgent calls for more multilateral action from governments, investors, and industry leaders to keep home-grown startups in Europe. This means keeping European capital rather than sending it to the US, and helping quantum startups to translate deep research excellence into market-leading, scalable solutions.
So then, to the inevitable follow-up. How can Europe actually achieve this?
The same answers came up again and again: Address fragmentation, promote collaboration, and mobilise capital. We’ve summarised our top 3 takeaways for you below.
Overcome fragmentation to build ‘one’ European quantum ecosystem
Europe’s innovation landscape is fragmented across 27 national frameworks, regulations, and infrastructures. The upcoming Quantum Act aims to align national strategies, pool resources, and establish pan-European facilities accessible to all member states.
Lene Oddserhede, Chief Scientific Officer at the Novo Nordisk Foundation, made an impactful point: “We can’t build a utility-scale quantum computer with dozens of €1 million grants spread across 27 countries.” To lead globally, Europe must act as one innovation ecosystem, not a plethora of separate markets.
Close Europe’s lab-to-market funding gap
A shortage of private capital, low risk appetite, and fragmented markets leave Europe trailing the US and China in patents and commercialisation. To close the gap, policymakers want de-risking mechanisms like blended public–private investment, pension fund engagement, and simplified regulation.
Support for manufacturing and industrialising quantum hardware is also key. Funding will be what helps European startups attract and retain talent, as the growth opportunities that are currently lacking will become readily available.
Cooperate and collaborate with trusted partners
International support is also important, and the EU is actively pursuing this via its Digital Partnerships with Korea, Japan, and Canada. Outside the EU, others are also forging international alliances as a strategic imperative. For example, the UK and Canada announced a joint funding call to support quantum communication technology at the UK Quantum Technologies Showcase.
According to the commission, the European pursuit of tech sovereignty must balance independence with “openness”. Christina Egelund, Danish Minister for Higher Education and Science, also noted that: “Trust between nations, institutions, and scientists allows us to collaborate openly in a world turning inward,” suggesting that true autonomy means leading through cooperation and global collaboration - grounded in European values.
There is a growing role for organisations such as QuiC to create open forums for industry to inform policies, ensuring legislation does not hinder quantum innovation, but boosts competitiveness and delivers value to European citizens.
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