EQTC 2023: Continued importance of a strong and growing quantum community at the forefront

The jury is in on EQTC 2023: Programmes, presentations, speakers, topics and virtually every other measure validate a highly successful conference in Hannover in October – and fuel further momentum for the months and years ahead.

The Quantum Flagship event hosted by Quantum Valley Lower Saxony was the ultimate one-stop shop for getting the most recent updates on high-level European strategy, scientific and technological advances, funding opportunities and much more.  It brought together the quantum ecosystem including academia, RTOs, industry, education and policy makers from Europe and beyond. EQTC once again proved to be an ideal platform for the ecosystem to showcase the latest advancements in quantum technology and promote collaboration within the quantum community.  And it served as a great opportunity to connect with peers, experts, and visionaries in the field. 

Ecosystem = Community

Communities are much more than the sum of their parts. The quantum community continues to be at the heart of EQTC with, for instance, thematic groups set up to encourage conversations about transversal topics related to the field of quantum – from ethics to education, equity, inclusion and more.

Feedback from the field

• “…the success was a collective endeavour…”
• “…jam-packed with engaging plenary discussions, fascinating keynotes, cutting-edge results…”
• “…a fantastic buzz of discussion and energy at the poster sessions!”
• “…truly remarkable to witness the emergence of numerous disruptive European technology companies…”
• “…a remarkable source of knowledge and innovation…”
• “The opportunity to connect with peers, experts, and visionaries was a great experience.”
• “…much more diverse formats like a play in the plenary hall focused on equality, diversity and inclusion.”

Views from the inside

“The 2023 EQTC was designed as a major meeting point between three main EU stakeholders: the research community, the industry from startups to large companies, and last but not least the institutional actors at the EC / EU level.  Personally, I was somehow sceptical about moving away from a traditional scientific conference, but as we say in French, 'la mayonnaise a très bien pris’: there was quite a lot of very useful and constructive exchanges between all these three parties. It makes me quite optimistic about reaching the EU’s goals for 2030, as expressed in the new Strategic Research and Industry Agenda, and beyond.”

^{Philippe Grangier, coordinator of the Quantum Flagship CSA QUCATS}

“The organising committee and we as co-chairs as well as the QVLS community are thrilled to have hosted EQTC this year in Hannover. The program was an inspiring blend of cutting-edge research and industry highlights and important policy and strategy topics. Participants took advantage of the meeting to make new connections, meet in person again and explore the industry exhibition. Thank you very much to all exhibitors, speakers, moderators, sponsors, to our location partner Hannover Messe and to all support staff for making EQTC 2023 such a great event!”

 ^{EQTC 2023 co-chairs Christian Ospelkaus and Michèle Heurs, Leibniz University Hannover}

New innovative session topics

In a departure from traditional professional, technology-based conferences, EQTC included people-focused and ethics programmes exploring the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and ethics in the quantum ecosystem.

"The EDI workshop, ‘Diversity Diaries’, was a powerful experience for participants as it guided us on how to recognise our personal biases that may be unknown to us and gave us the space for future self-reflection and ways to implement small, actionable steps to overcome such biases.”

^{Shaeema Zaman, quantum physicist, science communicator, and CEO of Science Melting Pot, which organised the workshop}

In addition, the thematic lunch areas were organised to focus on the ethical points of quantum technology use for healthcare, sustainable environmental development, communication, privacy, and security, as well as its impact on education.

“The take-home message was a recommendation to power up the Quantum Flagship coordination- and-support team with a unit estimating the social impact and risks of quantum technologies, building on ongoing national and regional initiatives, such as the Center for Quantum & Society within the Quantum Delta program in the Netherlands.”

^{Oxana Mishina, coordination and support for quantum technology education at Quantum Flagship, CNR-INO}

Many thanks, again, to the Quantum Valley Lower Saxony for hosting the 2023 edition of EQTC and to the quantum community in general whose participation set the stage for the EQTC’s success!

EQTC – the 2023 album.

Previous EQTC press release.