The Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Function, Óscar López, and the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, have today presented the first Quantum Technologies Strategy of Spain 2025-2030, within 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 on April 15, the Government of Spain complies with the commitment made to the ecosystem of quantum technologies, promoting a strategy with a complete vision and with investments aligned with the European Union in the three key areas: computing, communications and sensoric.

The estimated budget of the Strategy amounts to EUR 808 million, coming from two main sources of funding: on the one hand, the ERDF Funds and, on the other hand, the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR). In addition, both lines have the potential to attract public and private investment which is estimated to raise total investment to around EUR 1.5 billion.

“The digital transformation we go through drives disruptive technologies that will change the world as we know it. One of them is quantum, where a competition for global leadership begins to intensify. The race for quantum will not be easy, but Spain can and must specialize in specific sectors such as quantum communications. A sector that will be crucial to protect critical environments such as financial transactions or energy distribution networks,” said Minister Óscar López.

“The Strategy of Quantum Technologies that we present today is a giant step to make Spain a leader in this field,” said Minister Diana Morant, who stressed that “investing in quantum research and transferring this knowledge to the industry is to bet on our ability to lead the disruptive innovations that are going to define the 21st century.”

Industrial application: drugs, navigation or climate risks

In practice, the Strategy will promote financing in infrastructure and cases of industrial application of these technologies. With this, it seeks not only to enhance the strengths of the Spanish ecosystem, such as quantum communications or work in post-quantum cryptography, but also to take advantage of opportunities in sensorics and metrology due to its proximity to the market and its dual application in areas such as navigation or defense. For example, with quantum clocks you will be able to navigate knowing with extreme precision the position of ships, without relying on external technologies and avoiding blockages or altered positions, something key in defense.

In addition, quantum technologies can help ultra-accurately plan electricity grids and rely less on fossil fuels, support the discovery of new drugs, simulate climate risks for later management, help create sustainable catalysts for fertilizers, or accelerate the development of advanced materials in the defense sector.

This Strategy is implemented on the basis of investments made in previous years amounting to 300 million euros and coinciding with the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology promoted by the UN. For its elaboration, several discussion and exchange tables have been organized with the ecosystem of quantum technologies of Spain, as well as with the representatives of the autonomous communities and local entities.

The development of these technologies also means 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 race. According to data from the European Commission, one in every four quantum SMEs in the world is in Europe, a percentage very similar to that in the United States. This data confirms the real possibilities of European and, ultimately, Spanish global leadership in the world market of quantum technologies, which is expected to reach a value of USD 173 billion globally by 2040.

With this action, it aims to achieve four strategic objectives in Spain:

· Strengthen R+D+I for Promoting the transfer of knowledge and make it easier for research to reach the market.

· Creating a Spanish Quantum Market, promoting the growth and emergence of quantum companies and their ability to access capital and meet demand.

· Preparing the sociedad For a disruptive change, promoting security and reflection on a new digital right, postquantum privacy.

· Consolidating the quantum ecosystem so that I draw a country view.

In order 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 inter-ministerial coordinated initiatives:

· Priority 1: Promoting Spanish companies in quantum technologies.

· Priority 2: Algorithm and technological convergence between AI and Quantum.

· Priority 3: Spain, a reference in quantum communications.

· Priority 4: Demonstrating the impact of sensorics and quantum metrology.

· Priority 5: The privacy and confidentiality of information in the post-quantum world.

· Priority 6: Capacity building: infrastructure, research and talent.

· Priority 7: A strong, coordinated and leading Spanish quantum ecosystem in the EU.

Hub of Quantum Communications

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 euros, coming from Component 16 of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, it will promote three lines: the development of use cases in this field; the promotion of 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 network of research, development and implementation of these technologies. In this way, the Hub of Quantum Communications will promote quantum throughout the territory, allocating, for example, more than 2.4 million euros to the Institute of Photonic Sciences of Catalonia; more than 1.4 million euros to the Research Group in Information and Quantum Communication of the Polytechnic University 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.

Presentation of the Strategy of Quantum Technologies

The presentation of the Strategy of Quantum Technologies of Spain 2025-2030, by the ministers Óscar López and Diana Morant, has convened the entire Spanish and international ecosystem of quantum technologies of the more than 38 countries that are part of the Global Technology Forum of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), within the framework of a day that was held this morning at the Telefónica Foundation Space, in Madrid.

This forum wanted to highlight the Spanish commitment in the international geopolitical context, changing and complex, where the race 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 to present the Strategy to the citizens, which has the objective of publicizing and bringing closer to the citizens the benefits of this public policy. The entrance is free until complete capacity.