The Minister for Digital and Public Function Transformation, Óscar López, and the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, have presented the first quantum technology strategy of Spain 2025-2030within the framework of the Global Technology Forum of the Organization for economic Cooperation and development (OECD). With this initiative, approved by the Council of Ministers of April 15, the Government of Spain complies with the commitment acquired with the quantum technologies ecosystem, promoting a strategy with a complete vision and with investments aligned with the European Union in the three key areas: computing, communications and sensory.
The estimated budget of the strategy amounts to 808 million euros, from two main sources of financing: on the one hand, the Feder funds and, on the other hand, the recovery, transformation and resilience plan. In addition, both lines have the potential to attract public and private investments that are estimated to They could raise total investment to about 1.5 billion euros.
Industrial application: drugs, navigation or climatic risks
In practice, this initiative will promote infrastructure financing and cases for the use of industrial application of these technologies. With this, he seeks not only to enhance the strengths of the Spanish ecosystem, such as quantum communications or work in post -cptographybut also take advantage of opportunities in the sensoric y metrology due to its proximity to the market and its dual application in areas such as navigation or defense. For example, with quantum watches you can navigate knowing extreme precision the position of the ships, without depending on external technologies and avoiding altered blockages or positions, something key in defense.
In addition, quantum technologies can help plan to plan electrical networks and depend less on fossil fuels, support the discovery of new drugs, simulate climatic risks for better subsequent management, help create sustainable catalysts for fertilizers or accelerate the development of advanced materials in the defense sector.
This strategy is launched based on investments made in previous years for the amount of 300 million euros and coinciding with International Year of Quantum Science and Technology promoted by the UN. For its elaboration, several discussion and exchange tables have been organized with the quantum technologies ecosystem of Spain, as well as with the representatives of the autonomous communities and local entities.
The development of these technologies also implies supporting the digital sovereignty and economic security of the European Union, taking advantage of the benefits in competitiveness that will strengthen the position of Spain and the EU in this international career. According to data from the European Commission, one in four existing quantum SMEs in the world is in Europe, a percentage very similar to that of the United States. This data confers the real possibilities of European global leadership and, ultimately, of Spanish in the World market for quantum technologies, which is expected to reach a value of 173,000 million dollars globally in 2040.
With this action, four strategic objectives in Spain are sought:
- Strengthen R&D to favor the transfer of knowledge and facilitate the investigation to reach the market.
- Create a Spanish quantum market, promoting the growth and appearance of quantum companies and their ability to access capital and meet demand.
- Prepare society for a disruptive change, promoting security and reflection on a new digital right, postcuantic privacy.
- Consolidate the quantum ecosystem so that a country vision is tracked.
To take advantage of the benefits of these technologies and, at the same time, mitigate the risks, seven priorities are established with a series of interministerially coordinated initiatives:
- Priority 1: Embalizing Spanish companies in quantum technologies.
- Priority 2: Algorithmia and Technological Convergence between AI and Quantum.
- Priority 3: Spain, reference in quantum communications.
- Priority 4: demonstrating the impact of sensory and quantum metrology.
- Priority 5: The privacy and confidentiality of information in the post -mecuantic world.
- Priority 6: Capacity reinforcement: infrastructure, research and talent.
- Priority 7: A solid quantum, coordinated quantum ecosystem and leader.
Quantum communications hub
As the first initiative that already materializes these priorities, the Council of Ministers approved last week the Royal Decree of Creation of the Quantum communications hub. With an investment of 10 million eurosfrom component 16 of the recovery plan, will promote three lines: the development of use cases in this area; the promotion of the research and development of quantum photonics; and the implementation of training and dissemination initiatives.
The objective of this initiative is to unite the key and unique public actors of the Spanish ecosystem of quantum communications to consolidate a research, development and implementation network of these technologies. In this way, the quantum communications hub will enhance quantum throughout the territory, allocating more than 2.4 million euros to the Institute of Fotonic Sciences of Catalonia; More than 1.4 million euros to the Research Group in Information and Quantum Communication of the University Polytechnic of Madrid; 930,000 euros to the Donostia International Physics Center foundation; or 480,000 euros to the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands.
Act of presentation of the quantum technologies strategy
The presentation of the quantum technologies strategy of Spain 2025-2030, in charge of the ministers Óscar López and Diana Morant, has summoned the entire Spanish and international ecosystem of quantum technologies of the more than 38 countries that are part of the Global OECD technology forum, within the framework of a day held in the Fundación Telefónica Space, in Madrid.
This forum wanted to value the Spanish commitment in the international geopolitical context, changing and complex, where the career for the development of this disruptive technology becomes not only an opportunity for Spain, but a need to guarantee digital sovereignty and economic security.
At the end of the International Meeting, the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, María González Veracruz, together with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities, Juan Cruz Cigudosa García, participate, at 5:30 p.m., in an event of presentation to the citizenship of the strategy, which aims to disseminate and approximate citizens the benefits of this public policy. The entrance is free until capacity is completed.
