The Quantum Internet Alliance (QIA) opened the Quantum Meets ’25 programme with its Conference Day, held at Het Sieraad. With over 130 registered participants and more than 80 attending in person, the event focused on current progress in quantum internet technologies and the steps needed for deployment.

The event began with an opening address by QIA Director Stephanie Wehner (QuTech) and European Commission Policy Officer on Quantum Technologies Laurent Olislager, who emphasised the importance of coordinated European efforts in building a secure and scalable quantum internet. Their addresses set the stage for a full day of talks covering both technical developments and commercialisation efforts by key industry stakeholders in Europe.

Talks throughout the day offered full spectrum of quantum internet development, from emerging use cases to technological developments and pathways to commercialisation. These talks featured speakers from University of Parma, CNRS, TU Dresden, Veriqloud, ICFO, TU Delft, Qblox, Delft Networks, Welinq, and SURF.

In the morning, speakers presented several use cases that demonstrate the potential impact of quantum internet applications. Topics included quantum leader election in software-defined networks, private parameter estimation, certified data deletion, and high-precision clock synchronisation.

Afternoon sessions shifted focus to technological development where presenters shared updates on long-distance quantum links, city-scale testbeds, and control stacks for networked quantum devices. This was followed by sessions that outlined progress on deployable quantum repeaters and early market use cases for quantum links as well as walk-throughs of QIA open education platform Quantum Network Explorer and the Internet Research Task Force activities.

QIA Conference Day concluded with informal discussions among participants during coffee breaks and lunch, reflecting the collaborative nature of the community and the shared goal of building a European-led quantum internet. The event set the tone for the rest of the Quantum Meets ’25 programme and reinforced the Alliance’s focus on coordinated research, system development, and long-term deployment.

With vibrant discussions during coffee breaks and lunch, the event successfully connected diverse stakeholders and set the tone for the broader QMeets’25 programme.