The must-attend events to understand the rise of quantum in 2026
đź“© To contact the editorial team: editorial@startup-in-europe.com
Quantum is no longer a theoretical horizon confined to laboratories. Companies such as Pasqal, Quobly or Alice & Bob in France, as well as IBM, Google and IonQ in the United States, are now structuring an ecosystem where fundamental research, venture capital and industrial strategies intersect.
Without yet delivering a breakthrough comparable to artificial intelligence, quantum is gradually establishing itself as a critical infrastructure in the making, at the crossroads of computing, cybersecurity, energy and defense. Europe is attempting to build a coherent value chain, while the United States is accelerating through its technology giants and federal programs, and China is advancing with a more integrated approach, combining research, industry and state power.
In this context, specialized events play a particular role: they do not merely showcase progress, they reveal the fault lines of a still unstable market, at the intersection of science, capital and sovereignty.
Here are the key events to follow in 2026 to understand, beyond the narrative, the real state of the quantum race.
Hello Tomorrow Global Summit: the shift from the lab to capital
đź“Ť Amsterdam, Netherlands – đź“… June 11–12, 2026
In Paris and now in Amsterdam, Hello Tomorrow has established itself as Europe’s leading deeptech crossroads. The event stands out for its ability to bring together worlds that traditionally operate in silos: researchers, entrepreneurs, industrial players and investors.
Quantum is addressed here without excessive hype. It is neither framed as an immediate revolution nor dismissed as a scientific curiosity. It appears for what it is in 2026: a technology in transition, still uncertain, yet sufficiently structured to attract capital and talent.
What matters to observe is not so much the maturity of the technologies themselves as their ability to cross a decisive threshold: the transition from the lab to the startup. How many quantum projects are truly emerging? At what level of maturity? With which business models? These are the indicators that separate credible trajectories from speculative narratives.
Focus
- Transition from science → startup → funding
- Maturity of quantum projects
- Investor attractiveness
Key speakers
Xavier Duportet, CEO, Hello Tomorrow ; Georges-Olivier Reymond, CEO, Pasqal ; Ilana Wisby, CEO, Oxford Quantum Circuits ; Jean-François Bobier, Partner & Director, Boston Consulting Group ; Olivier Ezratty, DECODE QUANTUM ; Robert Sutor, former VP Quantum, IBM.
France Quantum: structuring a European industry
đź“Ť Paris, France – đź“… June 16, 2026
Co-founded by Fanny Bouton and Damien Gromier, and hosted at Station F, France Quantum stands as the central meeting point of the French ecosystem. The event brings together public research labs, deeptech startups, industrial players and government representatives around a clear objective: transforming scientific excellence into industrial capability.
The French specificity lies in this tight articulation between academic research and public strategy. While other markets leave more room to private capital, France is attempting to structure a complete value chain, from hardware to applications, including training and infrastructure.
France Quantum thus offers a lens on a subtle yet strategic shift: the transition from an investment policy to an execution logic. Who is signing industrial partnerships? Who is effectively moving out of the lab? Who is building technological building blocks that can be deployed in the medium term? These are weak but decisive signals.
Focus
- Building a sovereign industry
- Transition from research → industry
- Public / private coordination
Key speakers
Georges-Olivier Reymond, CEO, Pasqal ; Niccolo Somaschi, CEO, Quandela ; Théau Peronnin, CEO, Alice & Bob ; Olivier Ezratty, Decode Quantum ; Elie Girard, former CEO, Atos ; Valérie Pécresse, President, Île-de-France Region.
QT Nordics: quantum applied to industry
đź“Ť Oslo, Norway – đź“… June 22–24, 2026
In Oslo, IQT Nordics offers a different reading of quantum. Less focused on grand narratives, the event emphasizes concrete applications: quantum sensors, secure communications, and integration into industrial systems.
Nordic countries are advancing with a pragmatic approach: rather than waiting for a breakthrough in universal quantum computing, they are developing targeted use cases, often less visible but closer to market deployment.
This is where a key phenomenon becomes visible: the fragmentation of quantum into multiple industrial verticals, some of which—particularly sensors—may reach maturity well before general-purpose quantum computers.
Focus
- Quantum sensors
- Industrial applications
- Secure communications
Key speakers
Olivier Ezratty, DECODE QUANTUM ; Jan Goetz, CEO, IQM Quantum Computers ; Stephanie Simmons, Founder, Photonic Inc. ; Mikael Björk, Professor, KTH Royal Institute of Technology ; Anders Indset, Author & Investor ; Representative, Nordic Innovation.
Commercialising Quantum Global: confronting reality
đź“Ť London, United Kingdom – đź“… June 16–17, 2026
In London, Commercialising Quantum Global stands out for its deliberately pragmatic approach. The event does not aim to demonstrate quantum’s potential, but to test its economic viability.
Discussions focus less on machine performance than on integration into real-world environments: enterprises, supply chains, financial systems or critical infrastructure. This confrontation with operational reality is essential. It reveals current limitations, but also the conditions required for gradual adoption.
In an ecosystem still shaped by uncertainty, the event acts as a filter, distinguishing technological promises from credible industrial trajectories.
Focus
- Enterprise adoption
- ROI and time-to-market
- AI / HPC integration
Key speakers
Ilyas Khan, Chairman, Quantinuum ; Jeannette Garcia, Senior Research Manager, IBM ; Michael Cuthbert, Director, NQCC ; John Levy, CEO, SEEQC ; Representative, Head of Innovation, HSBC ; Representative, Head of Research, Airbus.
IEEE Quantum Week (QCE): the real level of maturity
đź“Ť Toronto, Canada – đź“… September 13–18, 2026
IEEE Quantum Week, or QCE, stands as one of the most technically rigorous gatherings in the field. The event brings together researchers, engineers and industrial players to address core challenges: architectures, error correction, quantum software and interoperability.
In a landscape often shaped by high-profile announcements, QCE plays a stabilizing role. It provides a grounded assessment of what actually works—and what remains out of reach. The number of usable qubits, error rates and scalability constraints are key parameters that define the credibility of each player.
For decision-makers, the event offers a valuable lens: not what quantum promises, but what it is effectively capable of delivering in the short to medium term.
Focus
- Architectures
- Error correction
- Scalability
Key speakers
John Preskill, Professor, Caltech ; Michelle Simmons, CEO, Silicon Quantum Computing ; Jerry Chow, Director, IBM ; Krysta Svore, VP, Microsoft ; Hartmut Neven, Director, Google ; Representative, Director R&D, Intel.
