The launch of the European Quantum Academy (EQA) marks a new step in Europe's coordinated effort to build a strong quantum ecosystem. As part of the broader Quantum Flagship, the initiative brings together more than 70 partner institutions and over 100 affiliated organisations across Europe.
Backed by €19.8 million in funding, the EQA will act as Europe’s coordinating body for quantum technology education, supporting the development of the skilled workforce the sector will need over the next four years as quantum computing, sensing and communications move from the laboratory to the market.
The Academy will also support the Choose Quantum Europe initiative, which aims to position Europe as the global destination of choice in a sector expected to exceed €155 billion by 2040.
How the Quantum Academy will work across Europe
The Academy will operate through six Regional Quantum Academies spanning Northern, Western, Southern, Eastern and Iberian Europe, coordinating the full educational pipeline — from school outreach and harmonised Bachelor's and Master's programmes, through doctoral training, to professional upskilling and lifelong learning.
"Europe's quantum sovereignty will not be secured in a handful of elite labs. It will be secured by connecting the full pipeline — from the classroom to the cleanroom, from first exposure in school to professional expertise in industry — across every region of the continent. That is the work the EQA is built to do."
— Jacob Sherson, Director of European Quantum Readiness Center, Aarhus University, EQA Coordinator
Addressing a widening "quantum divide"
According to the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, the global quantum sector is projected to exceed €155 billion by 2040, with thousands of highly skilled jobs at stake. Yet Europe's quantum capacity remains unevenly distributed: a handful of countries host world-leading infrastructure and talent, while others have limited access to training, equipment, or industry pathways. The EQA is designed to close that gap, with equity, diversity and inclusion built in as a structural commitment rather than an afterthought.
The Academy's launch aligns with the EU Quantum Europe Strategy (July 2025), which identifies a European quantum academy as one of five strategic areas, and with the Digital Decade target of placing Europe at the cutting edge of quantum capabilities by 2030.
"Europe has the research excellence and the community to lead in quantum technologies globally. Translating that into a workforce with the depth and breadth the sector will need over the coming decade is the work the EQA is here to do."
— Paraskevi Ganoti, Policy Officer, European Commission
Building on a decade of European coordination
The EQA consolidates and scales the work of four predecessor Quantum Flagship projects — QTEdu, DigiQ, QTIndu, and QUCATS — which together established a shared European Competence Framework for Quantum Technologies, a growing portfolio of qualified degree programmes and industry training modules, and a community of educators, researchers and industry partners working across national boundaries.
Concrete targets include training at least 600 quantum professionals through EQF level 7 and level 8 programmes by the end of the project, delivering training to 5,000 learners through EQA activities, and reserving 20% of student travel grants for learners from underrepresented groups.
About the European Quantum Academy (EQA)
The European Quantum Academy is a pan-European coordination body for quantum technology education and workforce development, bringing together more than 70 partner institutions, over 100 affiliated organisations, and six Regional Quantum Academies. It coordinates activities across the full QT education pipeline and builds on the work of the Quantum Flagship coordination projects QTEdu, DigiQ, QTIndu, and QUCATS.
Media contact
Jacob Sherson · Coordinator of the European Quantum Academy · sherson@mgmt.au.dk
