DIGITAL AGENDA FOR EUROPE : A EUROPE 2020 INITIATIVE

WORKSHOP ON
QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES AND INDUSTRY
6 May 2015, DG CONNECT, Avenue de Beaulieu 25, B-1049 Brussels

FINAL REPORT
Prepared by
Yasser Omar
University of Lisbon and
Instituto de Telecomunicaes

Table of Contents
Executive Summary.......................................................................................................................................... 3
The Current Investment in Quantum Technologies ........................................................................ 5
Applications for Quantum Technologies ............................................................................................... 7
Tackling the Challenges of Quantum Technologies ......................................................................... 9
Action Plans and Concluding Remarks ................................................................................................14
Appendix 1 The Workshop Agenda ....................................................................................................17
Appendix 2 The Workshop Participants ..........................................................................................18

Executive Summary
A workshop on Quantum Technologies and Industry was held by the European
Commissions Communications Networks, Content and Technology Directorate General
(DG CONNECT) in Brussels on 6 May 2015. The aim was to identify what could be the
markets for quantum technologies, and how these could be industrialised. The workshop
had more than 60 participants from different parts of Europe, representing in a balanced
way the academic, industrial and governmental sectors.
Research in quantum information sciences and quantum technologies currently involves
an estimated workforce of 7,000 researchers around the world and a yearly budget of 1.5
billion Euro. Europe accounts for 35% of these researchers and has invested significantly
in this domain over the last decade, obtaining excellent results at the scientific level,
including Nobel prizes.
Quantum technologies, such as quantum sensing, quantum cryptography and quantum
computation, have a very high strategic interest for both states and industry.
Furthermore, this domain holds the promise of a wide range of applications, with the
potential for technological leaps in sectors as diverse as energy, security and healthcare,
amongst others. And despite the very strong scientific expertise established in Europe
the USA, Canada, China, South Korea and Singapore are taking leadership positions in
the research, development and innovation in quantum technologies. There are now
several very large initiatives in Europe promoting the industrialisation of quantum
technologies, namely in the UK and in the Netherlands, but an EU-wide common strategy
and plan are lacking.
Following several presentations where this situation was discussed, the workshop
moved to a participatory mode, with the goal of collectively identifying what could be the
markets for quantum technologies, and how these could be industrialised in Europe. In
particular, after getting input from all the participants, the following six key areas of
quantum technologies were identified:

Quantum Metrology
Quantum Sensing
Quantum Communications
Quantum Memories
Quantum Simulation
Quantum Computation

Groups were set to discuss and prepare a pitch for each of these areas, and all
participants were invited to determine what could be the hurdles to the industrialisation
of these technologies. The audience then came to a consensus on what are the key
challenges that need to be addressed, and discussed in groups concrete measures to
tackle those issues. Finally, all the participants contributed to prioritise these measures,
and the workshop concluded with the proposal and discussion of the following key
action plans for the development of a quantum technologies industry and market in
Europe:
1. Improve the dissemination about the potential benefits of quantum technologies.
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2. Expand exploratory research on quantum technologies and extend it to support

research aiming at higher technology readiness levels.
3. Improve the coordination between different existing research programmes on
quantum technologies.
4. Mobilise European industrial players and have a policy paper on quantum
technologies produced by industry, endorsed at CEO or board level.
5. Develop a programme for training in quantum technologies.
6. Develop standards for quantum technologies.
These actions will need the proactive and collaborative intervention of the European
Commission, Member States, academia and the industrial sector, and their corresponding
leaders. Together with the unique assets of the EU, namely a strong culture and
mechanisms for collaborative research, development and innovation, as well as a very
strong expertise in quantum information sciences in particular, and in fundamental
science in general, these measures can lead to the development and establishment of a
quantum technology industry and market in Europe, with very strong expected
economical and societal impacts, and making the EU a world leaders in this promising
new domain.

The Current Investment in Quantum Technologies

The workshop started with an address by Thierry van der Pyl, Director of DG CNECT/C
Excellence in Science, who summarised the results of the investment by the European
Commission (EC) in research on quantum information sciences and quantum
technologies. Over the last 15 years, the EC has invested more than 350 million Euro in
these fields, obtaining excellent results at the scientific level, including Nobel prizes, and
putting the EU as a whole amongst the world leaders in this domain, as measured by the
quality and quantity of scientific publications. However, the corresponding number of
patents has been quite low. It was stated that it is now time to capitalise on the advanced
level of expertise built in Europe over the last decade and further develop quantum
technologies to the level of commercial applications, and contribute in a more direct way
to the development of the EU economy. This strategy is, furthermore, in consonance with
Horizon 2020, where innovation is as important as research.
Georg Peter, head of the Security Technology Assessment Unit at the European
Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), corroborated this view, explaining the role of
the JRC and the strategic interest of quantum technologies for the EU.

Walter van de Velde, from DG CNECT/C2 FET, one of the organizers of the workshop,
then addressed the audience and set the goals of the meeting, asking why there is still
not a large quantum technologies industry in Europe, and what would be necessary steps
to establish it.
The final talk of the first part of the workshop was delivered by Freeke Heijman-te Paske,
who presented Global developments on Quantum Technologies, a study conducted for the
Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands. There are currently around 7,000
researchers worldwide publishing scientific work on quantum technologies (excluding
those doing classified work, for states or in the private sector). The EU leads with a work
force of almost 2,500 researchers and an accumulated investment of more than half-abillion Euro by the EC, namely from the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)
programme, the Marie Skodowska-Curie Actions, and the European Research Council.
However, the USA, with around 1,200 researchers and a public investment of around 360
million Euro, leads by far in terms of publications in very high-impact journals, as well as
in the number of citations.
It is also North America which is leading the industrial investment in quantum
computing, namely with D-Wave The Quantum Computing Company in Canada, and
IBM, Google and Microsoft in the USA, amongst others. And several countries are making
governmental investments in quantum technologies considered of strategic interest for
the state, namely in quantum communications, quantum cryptography and quantum
computation, and their corresponding industrialisation. These include, amongst others,
the USA, China, South Korea and Singapore. In Europe, the UK has recently launched a
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national strategy for quantum technologies, corresponding to an investment of 370

million Euro during the 2015-2020 period, with a significant part of it being targeted at
industries. Another example is the Netherlands which has selected quantum
technologies as one of the four Dutch National Icons, i.e. examples of ground breaking
innovation projects selected from around 160 applicants at national level. Overall, the
market for quantum technologies is growing worldwide, and Europe has the largest
research body in this domain, but is behind in terms of technological and industrial
leadership.
The workshop then moved to a participatory mode, where all participants contributed
with their views about quantum technologies and about their potential to emerge as a
market, as well as the corresponding challenges, as described in the following sections.

Applications for Quantum Technologies

Following the first part of the workshop, based on presentations, the participatory part
began with all participants being asked to identify where in Europe they came from, as
well as if they were from the academic sector, the industry sector or from
governmental/European agencies. The representation proved to be quite wide and
significant, as there were participants from North, South, East and West Europe, and
there was a good balance between participants from the university, industrial and
governmental sectors (see Appendix 2 for the full list of participants).
The participants were then asked to pair with someone from a different sector than their
own, and try to convince each other what areas and applications of quantum
technologies they find most promising. Furthermore, they were asked to write this
information on a piece of paper and put it up on a wall, in one of three areas, indicating if
they believed this would be a short term (less than 5 years), medium term (5 to 10 years)
or long term (more than 10 years) application.
Following this exercise, six key areas of quantum technologies were identified:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Quantum Metrology
Quantum Sensing
Quantum Communications
Quantum Memories
Quantum Simulation
Quantum Computation

The participants were then divided into six groups, one for each of these areas, to discuss
them in more detail. After the discussion period, one representative from each group
made a three minute pitch to gain support from industry and investors for their quantum
technology, as summarised below.
Quantum Metrology aims at achieving the ultimate precision measurements, namely at
the quantum scale. It is establishing new standards for time, distance, etc., which are not
only of fundamental interest, but furthermore have very important applications,
allowing, for example, for more precise positioning and navigation technologies.
Associated to that is also the development of very sensitive quantum accelerometers and
gyroscopes. However, a regulatory framework will be needed to test, validate and certify
the new standards and measures.
Quantum Sensing is a very promising quantum technology. For example, cold atoms
systems are very sensitive to gravitational distortions from varying mass densities and
can thus be used for prospecting natural resources and for finding buried assets and
constructions. A timeline of 18 months was proposed to develop a portable
demonstrator to image gravity. Note this technology can also be exploited for inertial
navigation, where GPS satellite signals are not available, for example indoors, or in
tunnels and underground parking lots. The ultrasensitive measurement of magnetic
fields, in the range of femtotesla, can also have medical applications, for example for
brain imaging using magnetic encephalography. Finally, quantum enhanced imaging
exploits squeezed or entangled light sources for a wide range of applications, including
sub-shot noise detection, seeing around corners, low light levels for biological/medical

imaging to minimise damage, and detecting light at wavelengths where there are no
single-photon detectors (or no cheap single-photon arrays).
Quantum Communications can be used to ensure privacy against eavesdropping. In
principle, quantum cryptography can also be exploited to keep secrets secure
indefinitely. In fact, quantum cryptography is currently the most developed quantum
technology, being already a commercial product, albeit with a limited range (around 300
km in cable communications) and with a very limited number of customers. However, it
is a growing field, expected to gain a larger market share over the next three to five
years, finding customers amongst large companies, namely in the health and finance
sectors. Furthermore, it may also become increasingly present in government
communications, and in the management of infrastructures such as smart electricity
grids. Quantum cryptography will eventually be available for ordinary consumers. And it
raises issues of state security which will have to be dealt with.
Quantum Memories are a crucial ingredient for building quantum repeaters. These, in
turn, are necessary for the development of long-distance quantum communication
without the use of classical trusted nodes. Furthermore, new technologies are necessary
for the development of quantum networks and the corresponding routing of quantum
information. Finally, quantum memories will also be very important for quantum
information processing.
Quantum Simulation exploits quantum systems to efficiently simulate the dynamics of
other quantum systems. Currently it still does not beat a classical computer, but it is
believed it may do so within the next three years or so. This could then lead to faster
quantum chemistry and materials simulations, with potential applications for the
development of new drugs, as well as of new superconducting materials that could make
energy distribution much more efficient.
Quantum Computation is the hardest of the quantum technologies to develop and a
longer term goal, possibly decades away. Once available, it would allow for the fast
solving of very complex problems, such as optimisation problems with a wide range of
applications, namely in machine learning, in medicine (protein folding), etc. However,
the development of scalable hardware is still a major challenge, although there are many
research groups tackling it. One potential spin-off of this experimental effort is the
development of more energy-efficient (cryo)electronics.
During these presentations all participants were invited to note the challenges they
believed would be an obstacle to the ideas being pitched. These challenges were then
discussed in the next session of the meeting.

Tackling the Challenges of Quantum Technologies

Following the sales pitch for each of the quantum technologies described in the previous
section, each participant was invited to identify the potential hurdles to the
industrialisation of these technologies. These hurdles were then discussed and
summarised with the participation of the whole audience, and the following eight
questions were deemed necessary to address:

Are there other applications for quantum technologies, namely for daily use?
What are the societal benefits of quantum technologies? How to raise quantum
awareness and counter quantum "phobia"?
Why invest now in quantum technologies? And how to establish
academic/industry partnerships to develop these technologies?
How to create a quantum technologies supply chain?
What skill set do we need in Europe? How to get it?
Who should be the industrial players? Large companies or SMEs?
How much will be the return on investment in quantum technologies? And when?
What will be the market size?
What level of standardisation will be necessary? When and how can it be
achieved?

The participants were then divided into eight groups, to discuss and find answers to
these questions, with one rotation allowing each participant to contribute to two groups.
A set of measures were distilled from these discussions, as summarised below for each of
the questions.
Are there other applications for quantum technologies, namely for daily use?
Quantum technologies have applications in many sectors, including small applications
for daily use, not only large scale ones. The following potential applications were
identified, presented per sector:
- Security/Defence: random number generators, quantum cryptography for all,
detection of objects underground and across walls, long term data storage, gas
sensors for pollutants, detection of drugs and explosives.
- Transport: inertial navigation, without GPS satellite signals.
- Computing: faster algorithms, namely for factoring, searching and machine
learning.
- Retail: secure financial transactions, product authentication, magnetic skin type
determination for adequacy of cosmetics, functional sensing in packaging.
- Finance: time stamping, time synchronisation, holdover clocks, secure
communications.
- Healthcare: drug development, biomolecular readout, precision dosimetry, higher
resolution medical imaging, faster artificial intelligence diagnostics, long term
storage of medical records.
- Energy: more efficient photovoltaics, fossil fuel exploration, carbon sequestration
supervision, cryoelectronics, high-temperature superconducting materials for
energy efficient distribution, secure smart energy networks, timing for phase
synchronisation.
- Education: teaching quantum physics with demonstrations, quantum toys.
- Gaming: magnetic brain interface, faster artificial intelligence computing, random
number generators.

Infrastructure: utility mapping, assessing water distribution networks for leakage,

detecting sinkholes, assessing rail track integrity.

To help develop these promising quantum technologies, the following measures were
proposed:

Create quantum technologies application competitions.

Create quantum technologies demonstration competitions.
Proactive adoption of quantum technologies by governments.
Create rolling grant innovation initiatives.

What are the societal benefits of quantum technologies? How to raise quantum
awareness and counter quantum "phobia"?
The potential societal benefits of quantum technologies are enormous, given all their
possible applications, as described in the previous question. Furthermore, the
development of quantum technologies offers also a deeper understanding of nature and
new fundamental knowledge. To achieve these societal benefits, the following measures
were proposed:
Launch an EU initiative to build a market/supply chain.
Identify existing EU research and innovation programmes to which quantum
technologies can contribute.
Academia and industry should communicate the benefits of their discoveries.
Why invest now in quantum technologies? And how
academic/industry partnerships to develop these technologies?

to

establish

Given the potential disruptive applications of quantum technologies in many sectors, as

already described in the first question, and the strong investment in these technologies
in other parts of the world, the European industrial sector cannot stand back, or it risks
losing its competitiveness. Furthermore, given the strong expertise existing in the
European academic sector in quantum information sciences and quantum technologies,
it would be of mutual interest to establish partnerships between these two sectors.
The development of research associated to industrial partners is of great interest for
academic organisations, which can benefit from the expertise in systems engineering and
from the embedding for societal impact, as well as from future jobs. And for the
industrial sector it is also beneficial to develop work in partnership with academia,
obtaining early exposure to new scientific and technological developments, as well as
getting access to a highly skilled employable work force, and also leverage public
investment in this domain.
To ensure this development, the following measures were proposed:
Give grants for start-ups and incubators in quantum technologies, not necessarily
fast track, but allowing for medium track.
Find mechanisms to help industry make smart investments, fostering the creation
and developing of companies, promoting European technological leadership.
Create a programme at EU level on quantum technologies.

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How to create a quantum technologies supply chain?

How to make the technology choices, including for scalability and manufacturability, is
non-trivial. Markets are driven by early adopters, regulations and critical volume. One
first, shorter term, approach to creating a quantum technologies supply chain could be to
develop component technologies. For example, there are currently about 1,000 groups
around the world doing experimental research on cold atoms, each of them typically
spending 250 kEuro on components. Thus, providing research and development (R&D)
funds for components and sub-components (e.g. photonics, electronics, vacuum
technologies) would be very beneficial.
For more innovative technologies, a supply chain should be fostered for early adopters,
and adapted to reach volume. An example could be the defence industries, where the
complete supply chain could be grown to partially cover the civilian market as well.
To achieve these goals, the following measures were proposed:
Development of technology roadmaps and market studies to identify the unique
selling points of different quantum technologies.
Sufficient funding made available for intellectual protection and for "proof of
market" demonstrators.
Governments and the EC should fund technological gap analysis, as well as fill the
gaps and single points of failure.
What skill set do we need in Europe? How to get it?
The EU has an excellent academic expertise in quantum technologies, but the links to
industry are still not very strong. For the development of quantum technologies, a
dialogue between researchers, system designers, testing engineers and business leaders
and entrepreneurs will need to be cultivated. Furthermore, the incubation of new
companies in quantum technologies could be done within a network, benefiting from a
wide range of expertise, contributing in a more effective manner to filling the gap of
missing companies in Europe in this domain. To achieve these goals, the following
measures were proposed:
Create training networks on quantum technologies involving both academic and
industrial partners.
Fund feasibility studies for quantum technological companies, e.g. 30 kEuro in a
first stage, and then 150 kEuro if they make it to the development stage.
Create an EU-wide incubator network for quantum technology, where funding for
the research groups is improved if they have a spin-off component, and reward
delivery.
Who should be the industrial players? Large companies or SMEs?
The field of quantum technology in Europe is recognized as an academic activity with
very high potential for industrialisation. The required future tasks are a complex
interplay between large institutions and SMEs. On the one hand, large companies, but
also universities and governmental labs, need the support to invest in basic research and
development. On the other hand, well established and very specialized SMEs are needed
to contribute by the means of quantum-technology-related new applications in their
field of expertise. New SMEs and start-ups need to be incubated to enable the new

11

market on quantum technologies. As a conclusion it can be stated that all the players are
required to contribute.
Several large companies, such as Thales and Airbus, already have some activity in the
domain of quantum technologies. However, there is need to foster the SMEs as well. To
achieve progress on the industrial side within Europe, the following measures were
proposed:
Support the existing industry by the means of Horizon 2020 and other programs
to accelerate efforts in performing research and development on quantum
technologies and in its related fields.
National and EU agencies should coordinate efforts and strategic directions in
what fosters the creation of new quantum technology companies and start-ups.
Educate people for industry, but in particular as customers and consumers for the
new quantum technologies.
How much will be the return on investment in quantum technologies? And when?
What will be the market size?
The EU offers some good advantages for the development of quantum technologies,
namely good collaborative R&D mechanisms and culture. Furthermore, it has the
European Space Agency (ESA) as an early adopter, as well as many national metrology
institutes working on quantum metrology. On the other hand, the EU has a more limited
defence R&D and less focussed research programmes compared to the USA and China.
Sensing and metrology quantum technologies correspond to a 100 1,000 MEuro global
market, with a time scale of a few years, and approaching return on investment. In this
domain, the EU is in a good position.
Quantum communications is a very large global market, in the range of billions of Euro,
and still emerging. The EU is in a good position, but Asia, and China in particular, are
catching up quickly. The return on investment will be medium term.
Finally, quantum computing is potentially an even larger market, but will take a long
time to develop, and the return on investment is hard to predict at this stage. The EU
position at the purely scientific level is excellent, but in terms of the technological
developments it is behind the USA, where IBM, Google and Microsoft have been investing
consistently in this area.
To grow the quantum technologies market size and return on investment in Europe, the
following was proposed:
Fund quantum technologies in the Horizon 2020 programme, including
collaborations between academia and industry.
Possibly create a large centre of excellence or grand project on quantum
technologies at EU level.
Further coordinate and share academic progress in this domain.
What level of standardisation will be necessary? When and how can it be
achieved?
The establishment of standards for quantum technologies, be it for communications or
for sensing or metrology, is crucial for their development. In particular, standardisation
12

will ensure interoperability, accelerate a widespread adoption, and stimulate a supply

chain. This will be crucial to development of global markets, and building trust with
assurance and certification.
To achieve these goals, the following measures were proposed:
Develop appropriate traceable measurement techniques useful for the standards.
Fund European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Specialist Task
Forces and their supporting projects dedicated to particular technical issues,
which need elaboration by very specialised (and rare) experts.
Fund the participation of SMEs in the standardisation processes, especially startups and spin-offs, who otherwise will not be able to pursue a sustainable
contribution to standardisation, which is crucial for its success and for fostering
the intellectual property portfolios of these small organisations.

These conclusions, from each of the eight groups, were presented to and discussed by
the whole audience. After that, each participant was invited to choose the five measures
he or she considered as priority measures for the industrialisation of quantum
technologies in Europe. Finally, once the key next steps were identified, the participants
gathered to identify who should be responsible to promote each of these steps: the
European Commission, the Member States, academia or the industry sector. The
concrete actions to be taken, and by whom, are described in the following section.

13

Action Plans and Concluding Remarks

Following the discussions previously described and the contributions from the
participants from the different sectors, the workshop ended with the identification of the
key concrete actions that need to be taken to market and industrialise quantum
technologies in Europe, as well as with the identification of the corresponding actors.
In conclusion, the following concrete actions were proposed, associated to the following
actors:
1. Improve the dissemination about the potential benefits of quantum technologies
(All actors, i.e. EC, Member States, academia and industry)
Quantum technologies are emergent technologies, with the potential to bring very
innovative applications to a wide range of sectors, including security, energy and
healthcare, amongst others, as described in the previous section. However, these are still
largely unknown outside the research community. In view of the importance and impact
of these applications, as well as of the development and industrialisation of quantum
technologies taking place elsewhere in the world, it was deemed necessary to improve
the awareness of European decision-makers and of European society about this novel
and promising technological domain. In particular, the measures to improve the
dissemination about the potential benefits of quantum technologies should target:
policy makers and the general public, including measures to prevent and address
"quantum phobia" effects.
CEOs and company board members to stimulate investments, as well as Angel
investors.
potential students and researchers, tomorrow's quantum technologies engineers.
All actors, i.e. EC, Member States, academia and industry, should contribute to this
important effort.
2. Expand exploratory research on quantum technologies and extend it to support
research aiming at higher technology readiness levels
(EC and Member States)
In Europe, in the current research on quantum information sciences and quantum
technologies there is still a significant gap between the results obtained in the laboratory
and industrially relevant technology. It is of paramount importance that the EC and
Member States expand support for exploratory research on quantum technologies and
extend it to also support research projects aiming at bridging this gap. These should
include sufficient funding for intellectual protection and for "proof of market"
demonstrators. Furthermore, governments and the EC should fund technological gap
analysis, as well as fill the gaps and single points of failure.
To exploit the synergies and vast expertise in quantum technologies existing in Europe,
some EU-level measures were further proposed, such as the creation of a Flagship in
quantum technologies, and the development of a grand European project in this domain,
such as an European-wide quantum key distribution system. Finally, it was suggested
that European agencies (e.g. ESA) and governments themselves should proactively adopt
quantum technologies and contribute to generate the corresponding supply chain.
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3. Improve the coordination between different existing research programmes on

quantum technologies
(EC, Member States, academia and industry)
To reduce the duplication of the research efforts, it was deemed very important to
improve the coordination between the different research programmes on quantum
technologies currently ongoing in Europe. Furthermore, the coordination with efforts
from other relevant research domains should also be considered.
Further coordination at the European level can also contribute to improve the links
between academia and industry with the goal of developing more industrially relevant
technology. In fact, the creation of a EU-wide incubator network for quantum technology
was suggested as a more efficient and effective mean to foster the creation of new
companies and start-ups. Furthermore, it was suggested the JRC could help identify
which market sectors are relevant for application of quantum technologies.
Overall, a common strategy for the development and industrialisation of quantum
technologies should be defined at EU level, taking into account the different
stakeholders. Namely, it was suggested to create a European programme on quantum
technologies, as well as a large centre of excellence in this domain. One of the goals
should be to exploit the unique culture and mechanisms of international collaboration
that exist in Europe to create a globally attractive and fruitful research, development and
innovation environment in quantum technologies.
4. Mobilise European industrial players and have a policy paper on quantum
technologies produced by industry, endorsed at CEO or board level
(Industry and academia)
In the closing discussion of the workshop it was emphasised how important it will be to
have input from the industrial sector in the definition of a European strategy for
quantum technologies, as well as a strong commitment to contribute to the development
of this strategy. In particular, it was suggested to explore the possibility of forming an
industry platform on quantum technologies. Furthermore, it was decided to have a policy
paper on quantum technologies produced by industry, with a strong endorsement from
company leaders. Richard Murray, from Innovate UK, volunteered to lead this effort.
Finally, it was suggested to link this initiative to the white paper on quantum
technologies being prepared by the FET coordination action QUTE-EUROPE Quantum
Technologies for Europe, namely with the addition of a new layer on quantum control
and quantum engineering.
Overall, the strategic input and commitment from industry leaders is deemed crucial for
the industrialisation of quantum technologies in Europe.
5. Develop a programme for training in quantum technologies
(Academia and industry)
It is important to ensure that sufficient numbers of quantum engineers will be ready to
support the rollout of quantum technologies in the market. Therefore, the creation of
training networks in this domain, involving both academic and industrial partners, were
15

suggested. It will be important to train a new generation of individuals in this area, with
the necessary scientific and technical skills, as well as with a development and
innovation culture. Additional support should also be made available to foster
entrepreneurial and spin-off initiatives.
6. Develop standards for quantum technologies
(ETSI, academia and industry)
The establishment of standards will be key for the development and maturing of
quantum technologies. Standards are needed to address a global market and support the
emergence of supply chains and quantum technology eco-systems.
Important work has already been started at the level of quantum communications,
namely for quantum key distribution, but it needs to be expanded to other types of
quantum technologies. In particular, it was suggested that (pre)standardisation should
be started as early as possible and continuously pursued as the research, development
and innovation proceed, as otherwise there is the danger this will become a too
expensive and too slow process. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute
(ETSI) will play a key role at global level in this effort, and Gaby Lenhart volunteered to
lead this initiative.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the EU is in an excellent position to develop a quantum technology
industry and market. It currently benefits from unique assets at a global level: a very
strong culture and mechanisms for collaborative research, development and innovation,
as well as a very strong expertise in quantum information sciences in particular, and in
fundamental science in general. Building on these, the concrete action plans that resulted
from this workshop, with the committed intervention of the EC, Member States,
academia and the industrial sector, and their corresponding leaders, can make the EU a
world leader in quantum technologies, with the potential for very important economical
and societal impacts.

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Appendix 1 The Workshop Agenda

Agenda
Workshop on Quantum Technologies
6 May 2015
European Commission
Avenue de Beaulieu 25, 1160 Brussels
Room: BU25 0/S1
09:00
Arrival of participants / networking
09:30
Welcome address - Thierry Van der Pyl, Stefan Lechner,
European Commission
09:45
Market for Quantum Technologies - Freeke Heijman-te Paske,
Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs
10:00
Applications for Quantum Technologies (participatory)
State-of-the-art in quantum sensing/metrology, QKD, quantum computing/simulation
11:00 Coffee / networking
11:15
Markets for Quantum Technologies (participatory)
Standards, supply chains, end-users, timescales
12:30
Standing Lunch / networking
13h30
What is needed to industrialise Quantum Technologies? (participatory)
Roadmaps, researcher-industry liaison, forums, training, investment
15:15 Coffee / networking
15:30
Action plans for Quantum Technologies and industry (participatory)
Who? What? When?
16h30
Closing of the meeting /networking

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Appendix 2 The Workshop Participants

Name

Organisation

Marc Almendros
Klitos Andrea

Signadyne (ES)
Univ York (UK)
JRC, Institute For Reference Materials and
Measurements (EU)
Siemens (DE)
Univ Warsaw (PL)
Airbus/Astrium (UK)
Univ Birmingham (UK)
REA, FET Open (EU)
Single Quantum (NL)
Univ Ulm (DE)
Kelvin Nanotechnology (UK)
Innovate UK (UK)
e2v (UK)
DG Connect, FET (EU)
Thales (FR)
INRIM (IT)
(UK)
DG Connect, eInfrastructure (EU)
TU Delft (NL)
TU Delft (NL)
DG Connect, FET (EU)
Gooch and Housego (UK)
DG Connect, FET (EU)
DG Connect, Trust and Security (EU)
DG Connect, FET (EU)
Univ Birmingham (UK)
DG Connect, Components (EU)
DG Connect, Digital Science (EU)
Ministry of Economic Affairs (NL)
M Squared Lasers (UK)
DG Connect, FET Flagships (EU)
JRC, Security Technology Assessment (EU)
DG Connect, FET (EU)
ETSI (FR)
JRC, Security Technology Assessment (EU)
NPL (UK)
Univ Copenhagen (DK)
Element 6 (UK)
DG Connect, FET (EU)
Plextek Limited (UK)

Elke Anklam
Hans Aschauer
Konrad Banaszek
Paolo Bianco
Kai Bongs
Roumen Borissov
Gabriele Bulgarini
Tommaso Calarco
Brendan Casey
Bob Cockshott
Trevor Cross
Aymard de Touzalin
Thierry Debuisschert
Ivo Degiovanni
David Delpy
Jean-Luc Dorel
Marceline Du Prie
Servaas Duterloo
Julian Ellis
Mark Farries
Andrea Feltrin
Afonso Ferreira
Ales Fiala
Martin Freer
Eric Fribourg-Blanc
David Guedj
Freeke Heijman-te Paske
Nils Hempler
Andrew Houghton
Meret Kraemer
Sigrid Landry
Gaby Lenhart
Adam Lewis
Leon Lobo
Charles Marcus
Matthew Markham
Batrice Marquez-Garrido
Paul Martin

18

John Morton
Peter Mueller
Richard Murray
Per Nihlen
Yasser Omar
Georgios Papadakis
Douglas Paul
Momtchil Peev
Rene Penning de Vries
Georg Peter
Iuliana Radu
Pascal Rochat

Andreas Wallraff
Ian Walmsley
Frans Widdershoven
Alastair Wilson
Mario Ziman

UCL (UK)
IBM (CH)
Innovate UK (UK)
Sunet (SE)
Univ Lisbon (PT), rapporteur
Innovate UK (UK)
Univ Glasgow (UK)
AIT (AT)
(NL)
JRC, Security Technology Assessment (EU)
IMEC (BE)
Spectratime (CH)
High-Tech Grnderfonds Management GmbH
(DE)
Toshiba CRL (UK)
DG Connect, FET Flagships (EU)
Univ Southampton (UK)
Univ York (UK)
Univ Geneva (CH)
ASML (NL)
DG Connect, FET (EU)
(NL)
DG Connect, Excellence in Science (EU)
DG Connect, Components (EU)
TNO /QuTech (NL)
Department for Business Innovation & Skills
(UK)
ETHZ (CH)
Univ Oxford (UK)
NXP (NL)
Univ Glasgow (UK)
Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK)

Katerina Ivaskeviciute

DG Connect (EU) Photographer

Guillem Sague
Andrew Shields
Thomas Skordas
Peter Smith
Tim Spiller
Rob Thew
Albert van Breemen
Walter van de Velde
Floor van der Pavert
Thierry Van der Pyl
Willy Van Puymbroeck
Rogier Verberk
Lee Vousden

19