Brussels launches its Quantum Strategy to gain industrial ground

The European Commission adopted its new Quantum Strategy on Wednesday, a plan that seeks to transform the scientific leadership of the Old Continent into a competitive and industrial advantage. With a vision projected through to 2030, the document sets out a roadmap to consolidate the European quantum ecosystem, foster technological infrastructure, and attract investment in an international context marked by the acceleration of the United States and China.

According to Brussels’ intentions, the strategy aspires to “position Europe as a global leader in quantum technologies before the end of the decade”, through the coordination of actions in five major areas: research, infrastructure, industry, security, and talent. The European Commission emphasises that, although the EU has a solid scientific foundation and an emerging ecosystem of companies, its innovative capabilities are not translating into real market opportunities.

The document states that Europe is home to the highest number of scientific publications in quantum technologies and approximately one third of all companies in the sector worldwide, yet it only ranks third in registered patents in quantum computing, sensors, or communications. This gap between scientific leadership and industrial positioning is one of the driving forces behind the new strategy.

Daniel Errea, a consultant in European Projects at Zabala Innovation, interprets the text as a long-term commitment: “Everything points to it becoming a reference document for digital projects in the coming years, with a direct impact on various European funding programmes and their governance structure,” he states.

In this respect, the plan builds on accumulated public investment which, according to figures from the European Commission, exceeds €11 billion over the past five years, combining EU and national funds. Brussels’ own assessment, however, highlights a fragmentation of strategies among Member States, duplication of efforts, and poor coordination between agencies. This mismatch, according to the Commissioners, is slowing down the commercialisation of solutions and hampering the creation of a critical mass on a continental scale.

Dual-use power

The strategy also foresees integrating quantum technologies into the fields of defence and security. At a time of growing geopolitical attention on strategic technological capabilities, the plan proposes linking these developments to other initiatives such as the Economic Security Strategy, the Defence White Paper, or the International Strategy for Digital.

According to Brussels, quantum applications are inherently dual-use, meaning they can be employed in both civilian and military contexts. The expected uses range from encrypted communications to advanced sensors for navigation or terrestrial monitoring, as well as high-performance computing capabilities in areas such as logistics or finance.

In parallel, the document proposes the creation of European hubs to accelerate the production, design, and application of quantum technologies, with coordinated and scalable infrastructure. The push for industrialisation is linked to the support of start-ups and scale-ups, as well as the consolidation of secure and sustainable supply chains.

“The strategy sets out concrete actions up to 2030 across research, infrastructure, industrialisation, defence, capabilities, and international cooperation,” Errea highlights. In the expert’s words, the text could become a first-class reference when designing calls and prioritising investments within European programmes such as Horizon Europe or the Innovation Fund.

Another of the strategy’s pillars is the development of specialised talent. The European Commission proposes to strengthen education and training in quantum technologies through coordinated programmes between countries and measures that promote knowledge mobility. In line with its Competitiveness Compass, Brussels highlights the need to train a diverse, high-level workforce to support the industrial transition and ensure the EU’s technological autonomy.

Essential cooperation

Beyond the internal component, the strategy also opens the door to strengthening international cooperation. In this area, the geopolitical context plays a key role: the United States currently leads quantum industrialisation thanks to major private investments, while China is advancing with a model heavily driven by public funding. Europe, although well-positioned in the scientific phase, risks being left behind in commercial application if it fails to consolidate a common approach.

In Errea’s view, one of the most relevant aspects of the document is its integrative aim: “Beyond the push for research, it proposes mechanisms to generate critical mass, connect actors and avoid the dispersion of resources, which until now has been one of the main obstacles in Europe.”

The text adopted on Wednesday comes at a turning point for quantum technologies, which are beginning to move out of the laboratory and find practical applications in key sectors. Among these, the European Commission mentions advances in magnetic resonance medical imaging, geophysics sensors, the development of new materials, secure communications, or the simulation of complex processes.

The Quantum Strategy thus joins other recent framework documents launched by Brussels to guide the bloc’s technology policy. In particular, its adoption aligns with the priorities expressed in reports such as that of former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who describes quantum as “the next great revolution in computing”.