24.07.2026News
Halfway Through 2026: A QIA Mid-Year Update

The people, projects, and progress shaping Europe's quantum internet
The first half of 2026 has been marked by scientific advances, a growing community, and strong engagement across Europe’s quantum ecosystem. Here’s a snapshot of what we have been up to and what’s coming next.
Research & Innovation
Four (4) peer-reviewed publications and 12 preprints | QIA researchers continued advancing quantum network software, distributed quantum computing, communication protocols, cryptography, quantum hardware and sensing, demonstrating progress across the quantum internet stack. Check all our scientific publications here.
Events & Outreach
Mobile World Congress 2026, Barcelona | QIA brought quantum networking to one of the world’s largest telecommunications events through a featured expert panel, highlighting how European research is translating into secure communication technologies and real-world impact.
Q-Expo 2026, Bilbao | As a Strategic Partner, QIA hosted a dedicated plenary, relaunched the QIA Technology Forum, and engaged researchers, startups, industry, and policymakers from across Europe.
Quantum Meets ’26, Amsterdam | QIA highlighted Europe’s journey from quantum internet research to real-world impact through talks and discussions with leading ecosystem partners.
QIA Webinar Series | Our public webinar series returned with sessions exploring quantum internet applications, distributed sensing, and quantum clock synchronisation.
Education & Community
Building for One Europe Internship Programme 2026 | QIA has awarded four (4) internship grants to successful candidates from Finland, Sweden, Romania and Slovenia. They will be hosted by Portuguese Quantum Institute, TU Delft, LIST and University of Innsbruck, respectively.
Quantum Internet Application Challenge 2025 | Two winners were announced in the 2025 edition of the Challenge, recognising innovative applications for the future quantum internet developed by researchers from the University of Vigo and the University of Oxford.
Looking Ahead
QIA Community Event 2026 | Join us in Lisbon on 28–29 September for our first quantum internet community event, bringing together researchers, startups, industry, policymakers, infrastructure providers and the wider quantum ecosystem to explore Europe’s progress towards the quantum internet. Secure your slot here.
More QIA Webinars | Our webinar series continues after the summer with new sessions on quantum internet use cases, featuring experts from across the QIA community. Next one is open for registration here.
European Quantum Technologies Conference (EQTC) 2026 | Meet QIA this November in Dublin, where we will once again showcase Europe’s latest advances in quantum internet research and technology and connect with the wider quantum community.

