CESGA, a key player in the new European Innovation Valley specialised in quantum technologies (EQUIVALEMT project)
The European Commission has confirmed the establishment of a new European Innovation Valley specialised in quantum technologies, with Galicia taking the lead through the Xunta, the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN) and CESGA.
To develop this initiative, the EQUIVALEMT project (European Quantum Innovation Valleys as Strategic Emerging Technology) has been launched, with total funding of €14.3 million — €3 million of which has been allocated to Galicia — and a duration of 50 months.
The project’s core objectives align with the EU’s need to strengthen its technological sovereignty. In this context, quantum technology is established as one of the fundamental pillars, not only for research, but for crucial strategic areas such as communications security and energy efficiency. The EQUIVALEMT project will serve to accelerate the transfer of quantum technology knowledge to the market and society at large, boost the growth of science and technology companies, and improve people’s training and skills — ensuring a future with highly qualified professionals.
Three funding lines are planned, aimed at conducting technology tests in real-world environments, so that industry has access to a range of scalable use cases, accelerating their adoption. In addition, activities will be carried out in the areas of evaluation and analysis, talent training and development, startup support, the creation of technology value chains, and the development of public policy recommendations — always within the framework of cooperation between the regions involved in the project.
Why quantum, and why Galicia?
In recent years, Galicia’s ecosystem has taken firm steps to establish itself as a benchmark in quantum technologies and infrastructures, with QMIO as the flagship of an infrastructure serving an ecosystem experiencing sustained growth: the region has a Complementary Plan for Quantum Communications, an operational QKD link between Vigo and Santiago, and applications and emulators such as CUNQA.
At CESGA, these technologies are already bearing fruit in the form of emerging research that is shaping the future lines of investigation. Additionally, through agreements with IGFAE and VQCC | AtlanTTic, two quantum laboratories will be established to further develop the real-world potential of these technologies.
Who is part of EQUIVALEMT?
The EQUIVALEMT project has brought together a consortium of considerable weight, under the leadership of Galician stakeholders. In total, 19 partners — regional agencies, research centres, universities, industrial clusters and technology companies — are integrated into this Quantum Innovation Valley. Who are they, and where do they come from?
— Spain: Xunta de Galicia, Axencia Galega de Innovación (GAIN) and the Galicia Supercomputing Centre (CESGA).
— Italy: Regione Emilia-Romagna, Clust-ER Innovazione nei Servizi, Politecnico di Milano and Orthokey Italia.
— Portugal: Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Norte (CCDR-N) and the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL).
— Finland: Business Tampere and Tampere University.
— Netherlands: TU Delft.
— France: Région Île-de-France, CEA (Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique), Teratec and Systematic Paris Region.
— Romania: Regional Development Agency West Romania (ADR) and the Euro Atlantic Diplomacy Society.
— Austria: DCS Computing.
— United Kingdom: Welsh Government.
What are Innovation Valleys about?
Innovation Valleys are one of the components of a broader European strategy: the European Innovation Ecosystems initiative. The aim of the Valleys is to connect regional innovation ecosystems across Europe through cooperation between leading and emerging regions, leveraging the strengths of the former to drive innovation in strategic areas — particularly advanced technologies — and to reinforce the transfer of knowledge to the market.