The Minister Pérez Iglesias presents the Year of Quantum 2025 with an ambitious program of scientific and social activities

The Basque Minister of Science, Universities and Innovation, Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias, presented this morning in Donostia the Year of Quantum Science 2025, a key year for scientific and technological progress in the Basque Country.

Declared by UNESCO as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technologies, the Basque Country is preparing to develop a year full of activities that will delve into the field of quantum science. One of the most outstanding initiatives will be the installation of the IBM System One quantum computer, a technological milestone that will put the Basque Country at the forefront of quantum research worldwide. In addition, various actions will be carried out to bring this field of knowledge and its applications closer to the public.

2025 Agenda

During the meeting, the Department of Science, Universities and Innovation has detailed some of the actions that -within the BasQ Strategy- will be developed by the Basque Government during the next months and that will mark the Year of Quantum in the Basque Country. These actions will be complemented with the initiatives that may be developed by the provincial councils, within their participation in BasQ.

Specifically, the Basque Government has structured its programme of initiatives in four main areas: those aimed at scientists, industry and training, society in general, and actions related to IBM's future quantum computer.

Exhibitions, workshops and conferences aimed at all audiences have been programed in the three Basque capitals, as well as a travelling exhibition that will tour different towns in the community, bringing quantum science to the public space in an entertaining and accessible way for all citizens.

www. basquequantum.eus

During the event, the BasQ Strategy web page was presented, the aim of which is to inform the scientific community and society in general about the characteristics of BasQ, as well as the potential of the quantum world.

IBM System One

Special mention should be made of the future construction of IBM's quantum computer, System One, a key infrastructure in the development of the BasQ Strategy, which will turn the Basque Country into an international quantum innovation hub. It will be located in the new Ikerbasque building, becoming the headquarters of the IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center. The Basque Country will thus become IBM's sixth quantum computing node in the world, along with the United States, Canada, Germany, Japan and South Korea. This technological milestone will strengthen collaboration between research staff, companies and innovation centres, accelerating the development of solutions based on quantum computing.

Expert voices

The meeting culminated with a round table moderated by the Deputy Minister Adolfo Morais, in which the challenges and opportunities that quantum technology offers were discussed. Leading experts took part in this debate, such as Javier Aizpurua, Scientific Director of Basque Quantum; Cristina Ortega, Space Director at the company AVS, where she coordinates a team that develops technology for space missions with agencies such as ESA and NASA; and Alba Larraya, researcher at BCAM (Basque Centre for Applied Mathematics), who works on cryptographic systems, a crucial line for post-quantum cryptography.

This Year of Quantum 2025 promises to be a turning point for the Basque Country, positioning it as a global benchmark in the development and application of quantum technologies.

Source: https://www.irekia.euskadi.eus/es/news/99250-consejero-perez-iglesias-presenta-ano-cuantica-2025-con-ambicioso-programa-actividades-cientificas-sociales