The Quantum Matter International Conference 2023, a leading global forum held in Madrid, Spain from May 23–25, 2023, was a chance for attendees to discover how Spain is helping to shape the future of quantum technology and materials.
During the conference, four of Spain’s leading figures in quantum science and technology got together to discuss the importance of the conference, which is a facilitator for generating new ideas and collaborations at the forefront of quantum technology, emerging quantum materials, and new generations of quantum communication protocols, quantum sensing, and quantum simulation.
Moderated by Virginia Greco, a Scientific Writer at ICN2, the four people participating in the discussion were (in order of appearance):
- Stephan Roche, an ICREA Professor and Group Leader at Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2), a leading figure in the theoretical study of quantum transport in graphene and topological insulators.
- Gloria Platero, a Research Professor at the Materials Science Institute of Madrid (CSIC), whose innovative research focuses on the quantum properties of materials.
- Alba Cervera, a Senior Researcher at Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) and the coordinator of Quantum Spain, dedicates her work to building the future of quantum computing.
- Ricardo Diez Muiño, an Ikerbasque Professor and the Director at the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), leading numerous studies in the field of quantum and computational physics.
The most insightful part of the discussion came near the end when three of the speakers were asked how they see Spain positioned in terms of innovation and leadership in the international quantum arena.
Ricardo Diez Muiño’s opinion:
Diez Muiño believes Spain is in a very strong position with many of initiatives including Quantum Spain and several other regional initiatives, giving the image that Spain is very well positioned in quantum. He also added — which is a very important point — the strength of the materials science community within the country. Finally, he added as a final point that investment in science is a long-term activity and it’s important for Spain to keep this long-term commitment.
Alba Cervera’s opinion:
To complement what Diez Muiño had said, Cervera thinks it’s remarkable that Spain has a very close quantum community, meaning everybody knows each other and collaborates often, mentioning that the Quantum Matter International Conference 2023 is a good example of this because it involves different institutions that work in different areas of the quantum technologies. From this, Cervera is sure Spain is well positioned to attract and retain talent and hopes that this is a long-term thing because that’s a big challenge ahead.
Stephan Roche’s opinion:
Roche agrees with his colleagues and thinks that the conference is very important for the community in Spain because it is growing the ecosystem at the national level, while Quantum Spain is connecting the country with the rest of Europe. He also said that his employer, the Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2), has launched a Master’s program that will train a new generation of Spanish students in the new technologies.
Featured image: Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia
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