On November 17, 2024, we travelled to Lisbon, Portugal, to participate in the European Quantum Technologies Conference (EQTC) 2024, held at Culturgest from November 18–20.

Organized by Quantum Flagship and the Portuguese Quantum Institute (PQI) – QIA partner, EQTC is the largest event in Europe dedicated to quantum technologies. EQTC24 provided an excellent opportunity to connect with leaders, decision-makers, and researchers in the field, as well as to learn about the latest advancements in research and the challenges ahead.

QIA showcased a vibrant booth featuring not only core team members, but also partners such as Q*Bird, the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), and Alpine Quantum Technologies (AQT). Nico Seidler and Ravisankar Ashok Kumar Vattekkatgave from QIA/TU Delft delivered live demos about the Quantum Network Explorer (QNE), the world’s first open, international, and accessible platform for quantum network technologies. QIA also contributed to the daily poster session through a collaborative effort with colleagues from the University of Parma, Italy—Michele Bandini, Davide Ferrari, Stefano Carretta, and Michele Amoretti—who presented their work titled “Optimized Quantum Compilation for Distributed Quantum Computing”.

On Monday 18 November, the conference was inaugurated by Yasser Omar, EQTC Host and PQI President, and Gustav Kalbe from the European Commission. On the second day, QIA Director Stephanie Wehner participated in the Plenary Session on Quantum Communication and Networks, delivering a speech on an operating system for executing quantum internet applications on network nodes. She gave insights on this research, programming, and execution. She also highlighted QIA’s mission to build a prototype quantum internet and new QIA initiatives.

Other notable participants among QIA members included Eleni Diamanti and Damian Markham (Sorbonne University/CNRS), Julia Feddersen and Philippe Bouyer (Quantum Delta NL), Julien Laurat (Sorbonne University / Welinq), Niels Bultink (Qblox) and Juergen Stuhler (TOPTICA Photonics AG).

The event concluded on Wednesday 20 November with an exciting announcement: 2025 has been designated the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology! This year-long global initiative will be marked by activities at all levels, aimed at raising public awareness of the importance of quantum science and its applications… and we can’t wait to be part of it!