Bizkaia presents the Bizkaia Quantum Advanced Industries (BIQAIN) Strategy

The General Deputy of Bizkaia, Elixabete Etxanobe, has presented Biqain, Bizkaia Quantum Advanced Industries, the industrial strategy for quantum technology that consolidates the territory's leadership position in this field.

"Quantum technology is a disruptive technology with the potential to revolutionize the industry and change the world. It is no coincidence that the United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. In this context, Bizkaia presents an ambitious roadmap endorsed by the European Commission for the industrial application of quantum technology and to consolidate Bizkaia's position at the forefront of this sector."

Biqain, Bizkaia Quantum Advanced Industries

Quantum technology is an emerging disruptive technology with applications across all sectors, from finance, energy, and telecommunications to medicine, mobility, chemistry, and advanced manufacturing.

Since 2021, the Bizkaia Provincial Council has developed and nurtured an ecosystem in this field, made up of universities, technological and research centers, large international technology corporations, companies, clusters, startups, and public administrations. This ecosystem is the foundation upon which Biqain has been designed. It will concentrate all of Bizkaia's knowledge in quantum technology in the María Goyri building of the technology park located on the UPV/EHU campus in Leioa. The objective is to continue applied research, technological development, and innovation in this field and to enable companies to carry out projects and experiment with quantum technologies.

This location will house the quantum laboratories of the UPV/EHU. From there, Lantik, the technology and innovation company of the Bizkaia Provincial Council, will promote the creation and sharing of knowledge and activities related to access to twelve quantum platforms. This makes Bizkaia the place in the world with the most access to different quantum technologies from various manufacturers, including D-Wave, Fujitsu, and IBM. Other providers of quantum solutions and infrastructures, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and Telefónica, also accompany them. This positions Bizkaia among the most advanced territories in terms of quantum computing and simulation infrastructure. Additionally, the technological center Tecnalia will also relocate its quantum technology equipment to this location, in collaboration with the Knowledge and Technology Industries Association of the Basque Country, Gaia.

Biqain will offer two types of support services to companies. For those at the early stages, it will encourage them to establish initial contacts and develop first-use cases with specialized advice and access to computers. Meanwhile, large technology operators will help companies with more advanced knowledge to transform and create their quantum technology departments. The aim is to connect supply and demand so that both SMEs and large leading companies in Bizkaia start experimenting in this field, discover the possibilities it offers, and can create and test innovative market solutions.

Additionally, training and capacity-building services will be provided for companies, and literacy labs will be open to society. The quantum startups of Bizkaia, a total of 15, including newly created ones and those from other regions or countries, will also be relocated to Leioa. In 2021, the ecosystem only included one company of this nature.

Collaboration between technological and research centers, universities, the business sector, and the Bizkaia Provincial Council will accelerate the development and commercialization of innovations in quantum technology in the region. Biqain, Bizkaia Quantum Advanced Industries, is part of the BasQ initiative promoted by the Department of Science, Universities, and Innovation of the Basque Government.

Quantum Now 24

Biqain was presented during the second edition of Quantum Now, held at the BEC! Organized by the Bizkaia Provincial Council with the support of the European Commission, this event brought together internationally renowned experts in quantum technology and representatives from the organizations that form part of Bizkaia's pioneering quantum ecosystem.

After the inauguration of the meeting by the General Deputy of Bizkaia, Elixabete Etxanobe, and Enrique Sánchez, director of the European Quantum Flagship strategy, Valentín García, Director of Innovation at Lantik, detailed the aspects of Biqain and the role of the various stakeholders in the ecosystem.

Next, Carlos Kuchkovsky, an advisor to the UN and the World Economic Forum on quantum technology and CEO of QCentroid, moderated a round table with the participation of Antonio Vargas, Head of Institutional Relations in Spain and Portugal at AWS, Amazon Web Services; Gonzalo Romeo, General Director of Fujitsu's Business Platforms Unit in Spain; Elena Zarraga, President of Gaia, Knowledge and Technology Industries Association of the Basque Country and CEO of Grupo LKS Next; Ana Gobernado, Managing Partner of IBM Consulting Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Israel; David Carmona, Global Vice President and Director of Strategic Technology and Incubators at Microsoft; and Enrique Blanco, Global Director of Technology and Information at Telefónica. The debate participants analyzed the opportunities and challenges that quantum technology presents for their respective sectors, highlighting the importance of collaboration among the various agents that make up the open innovation techno-scientific ecosystem promoted in Bizkaia.

Source: bizkaia.eus