The European Quantum Academy, supported by the European Commission and with a budget of 19.8 million euros, will create the first pan-European quantum education ecosystem.

Nine Spanish partners will participate in the European Quantum Academy (EQA) project, which has been approved by the European Commission and recently launched. With a budget of nearly 20 million euros, it will develop a comprehensive ecosystem for education and training in quantum technologies across Europe.

The main objective of the EQA is to train the next generation of talent in quantum technologies and ensure a continuous flow of talent, spanning from secondary education to doctoral training, its application in business, and lifelong learning. The academy will act as a coordinating entity, offering specialized training and practical experiences at different educational levels, thereby contributing to the development of key competencies in this strategic field.

The European Quantum Academy marks a milestone by establishing the first pan-European quantum education ecosystem, with a comprehensive approach that spans from early stages of training to advanced specialization programs. Its launch marks a new step in Europe’s coordinated effort to build a robust quantum ecosystem, where initiatives will be implemented for students, professionals, the industrial sector, and the general public, while also fostering mobility and the exchange of knowledge among laboratories and research infrastructures.

More than 70 partners and 100 affiliated organizations

The project is led by Aarhus University (Denmark) and brings together a consortium of more than 70 universities, research centers, SMEs, and leading industrial partners in Europe, along with more than 100 affiliated organizations. This collaborative network will enable the pooling of capabilities in education, infrastructure, teaching, and technology transfer to the business sector.

The EQA is organized through six regional quantum academies. Spain and Portugal participate within the framework of the Southwest Europe Academy, which includes nine Spanish institutions and manages 11.85% of the project’s total funding. Four of these entities (Autonomous University of Barcelona, University of Barcelona, ICFO – Institute of Photonic Sciences, and ICN2 – Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology) are part of the Catalonia Quantum Academy. The Spanish consortium is rounded out by the CSIC – Spanish National Research Council, Carlos III University, the University of Santiago de Compostela, Basque Quantum (through Euskampus Fundazioa), and the company QURECA. In particular, QURECA leads the work package “Quantum workforce upskilling and reskilling,” which aims to identify academic and business actors currently offering graduate-level training related to quantum technologies, as well as to develop a structured catalog of courses, modules, certifications, and tools.

Financiado a través del Programa Europa Digital, el proyecto tendrá una duración de cuatro años. Se enmarca en la Estrategia Quantum Europe de la UE, que identifica una academia cuántica europea como uno de sus cinco ámbitos estratégicos, así como en el objetivo de la Década Digital de situar a Europa a la vanguardia de las capacidades cuánticas para 2030.

La EQA también apoyará la iniciativa «Choose Quantum Europe», cuyo objetivo es posicionar a Europa como el destino mundial de referencia en un sector que se prevé que supere los 155.000 millones de euros en 2040.