Europe’s Quantum Gamble: The Strategic Industry Roadmap 2025 Unveiled

The race for quantum supremacy is not just a scientific or technological challenge—it is a geopolitical one. For stakeholders across Ireland, this evolving field represents both a national opportunity and a European imperative. As Europe positions itself to lead in the development, commercialisation, and governance of quantum technologies (QTs), the release of the Strategic Industry Roadmap 2025: A Shared Vision for Europe’s Quantum Future—published on April 10, 2025, by the European Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC) with the support of the European Commission—offers a timely framework for aligning national ambitions with collective European action.

This roadmap, the most comprehensive of its kind in Europe, spans everything from enabling technologies and workforce development to international cooperation and ethical frameworks. It also arrives at a pivotal moment for Ireland. On May 6, 2025, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless, informed Cabinet of his intention to sign the European Quantum Pact, a joint declaration by EU science ministers recognising the transformative potential of quantum technologies for Europe’s scientific, industrial and strategic future.

In his statement, Minister Lawless underlined the vital role of quantum in Ireland’s ambition to lead in “deep tech” across sectors like semiconductors, life sciences, and cybersecurity. He noted: “Participation in the Pact will be critical to Ireland’s future competitiveness and the long-term sustainability of our economic model.” He also emphasised Ireland’s current strengths in quantum innovation, already delivering breakthroughs in pharmaceuticals, financial modelling, and energy efficiency.

By joining this European effort, Ireland reaffirms its commitment to building a world-class quantum ecosystem. This step will strengthen Ireland’s access to shared infrastructure, talent, and research capacity while reinforcing the country’s role in shaping the future of secure digital infrastructure, sustainable data systems, and medical advancements.

The roadmap is also a call for deeper cross-border engagement. Ireland’s vibrant research ecosystem, entrepreneurial culture, and industrial capabilities can serve as a catalyst for strategic cooperation with countries like France, where quantum research and infrastructure are advancing at scale. This article aims to highlight how the European roadmap opens new pathways—not only for technological leadership but for reinforced Franco-Irish collaboration in the quantum domain.

Five Pillars for a Quantum Future

The SIR 2025 identifies five core technological domains as critical to Europe’s quantum ambitions:

1. Quantum Computing: Developing scalable, high-fidelity qubit systems and integrating them with high-performance computing (HPC).
2. Quantum Simulation: Using analog and digital simulators for materials science, chemistry, and high-energy physics.
3. Quantum Communication: Establishing secure communication systems via Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and post-quantum cryptography (PQC).
4. Quantum Sensing and Metrology: Designing sensors with unprecedented precision for healthcare, navigation, and environmental monitoring.
5. Enabling Technologies: Building the foundational hardware like cryogenics, lasers, integrated photonics, and control electronics.

Road to 2035: From Prototypes to Sovereignty

The Strategic Industry Roadmap 2025 sets a bold trajectory for Europe's quantum journey—not just as a hub of research excellence, but as a continent capable of industrialising and deploying quantum technologies at scale. The document outlines a vision where, by 2025, many quantum components will achieve Technology Readiness Level 9 (TRL 9)—meaning they are no longer confined to labs or pilot projects, but are fully operational in real-world environments.

But this milestone is only the beginning. The roadmap frames the next decade as a transition from prototype to sovereignty—where Europe moves beyond fragmented innovation efforts and into coordinated industrial leadership.

Let’s unpack the key forecasts:

➤ Industrialised Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) Networks

Quantum Key Distribution, already a pillar of Europe’s quantum communication strategy, will move from experimental trials to commercial deployment. The aim is to build pan-European QKD infrastructure capable of securing sensitive data flows in government, defense, and finance. These networks will underpin Europe’s quantum internet backbone, ensuring ultra-secure communication channels across the Union.

The roadmap also anticipates:

• A standardised certification framework for QKD components.
• Integration with terrestrial and satellite networks.
• Creation of cross-border QKD corridors linking major capitals and industrial hubs.

➤ Fully Integrated Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG) Chips

Randomness is the bedrock of cryptography, and Europe wants to lead the way in secure random number generation. The roadmap envisions QRNGs embedded directly into smartphones, routers, and industrial IoT devices, replacing legacy pseudo-random generators and enhancing cybersecurity across critical infrastructure.

This step will:

• Reinforce digital trust in everyday communications.
• Offer a clear commercial product for European deep-tech startups.
• Support the standardisation of hardware-based cryptography.

➤ Early Quantum Internet Use Cases

While the full-scale quantum internet remains a long-term goal, the roadmap prioritises intermediate milestones:

• Use cases in distributed sensing, clock synchronisation, and secure voting systems.
• Demonstration networks linking quantum computers, simulators, and sensors across research facilities.
• Hybrid deployments that combine classical and quantum nodes under unified control systems.

These early deployments will serve as “quantum sandboxes” where operators, researchers, and policymakers can experiment with governance, interoperability, and access models.

➤ Strong QC-HPC (Quantum Computing–High Performance Computing) Integration

Europe is already a global leader in HPC, and the roadmap sees this as a natural advantage. The goal is to create hybrid HPC/QC architectures where quantum processors serve as accelerators for specific tasks such as molecular modelling or cryptanalysis.

Key actions include:

• Embedding quantum accelerators into EuroHPC supercomputers.
• Developing middleware and software toolchains to optimise hybrid workflows.
• Training HPC professionals to work with quantum hardware and simulation stacks.

Sovereignty Is the Destination

Why does this matter? Because technological sovereignty is no longer a theoretical debate—it’s an industrial necessity. As global tensions rise and digital infrastructure becomes a battleground, Europe must exert control over its entire quantum value chain: from the chips to the clouds, from photonics and firmware to software interfaces and secure communications.

This sovereignty is not isolationist. On the contrary, it requires a dynamic and collaborative internal market, in which European players—from startups to large industry, from research centres to regulators—can innovate, scale, and lead without over-reliance on non-European suppliers.

It implies:

·       Reduced dependency on foreign technologies for critical components such as quantum processors, cryogenics systems, and quantum network equipment.

·       Resilience against supply chain disruptions, export restrictions, and shifting geopolitical alliances.

·       Strategic autonomy in defining global standards, protecting sensitive know-how, and shaping ethical frameworks.

To realise this, the roadmap calls for:

·       Investment in industrial capacity and infrastructure, from cleanrooms and foundries to testbeds and national quantum networks.

·       Robust public procurement strategies that accelerate early deployment of European quantum solutions.

·       Stronger pan-European coordination to avoid duplication, ensure interoperability, and create economies of scale.

Quantum is not just a scientific frontier—it is a new layer of critical infrastructure. Treating it as such will ensure that Europe is not a passive adopter of global developments, but an active shaper of the technological world to come.

Innovation Meets Regulation: Governing the Quantum Era

As quantum technologies edge closer to real-world deployment, they are no longer the sole concern of physicists or engineers. Their transformative potential—and disruptive power—raises urgent regulatory and ethical questions. The Public Strategic Industry Roadmap 2025 (SIR 2025) acknowledges this reality and proposes a forward-looking European Common Strategy for governing the quantum transition.

This is not about slowing innovation. On the contrary, Europe’s vision is to embed regulation as a driver of trust, legitimacy, and competitiveness, creating an environment where quantum technologies can flourish—responsibly.

➤ Ethics and Dual-Use Risk Frameworks

Quantum technologies, like AI or biotechnology, can be both tools for societal progress and instruments of control or harm. SIR 2025 therefore calls for robust ethical governance mechanisms, inspired by lessons from other disruptive domains. These include:

·       Ethical review processes for research and innovation funding.

·       Clear guidance on dual-use technologies—particularly in areas like quantum sensing (military applications) and quantum computing (code-breaking risks).

·       Risk assessments embedded into early-stage development, not as afterthoughts.

The ambition is to ensure that European quantum innovation aligns with fundamental rights, international law, and societal values.

➤ International Cooperation on Export Controls

Quantum capabilities are fast becoming a matter of strategic competition. As such, export controls—like those currently being developed for advanced semiconductors or AI chips—will soon extend to quantum components and algorithms.

The roadmap proposes:

·       Aligning EU policies with multilateral regimes (Wassenaar Arrangement, OECD).

·       Defining sensitive items and critical use-cases subject to licensing.

·       Facilitating trusted cooperation among like-minded democratic partners while safeguarding sensitive know-how.

This international coordination is essential to prevent fragmentation and to protect European competitiveness in a high-stakes global race.

➤ Open Innovation—Balanced with IP Protection

SIR 2025 strongly supports open science and collaborative ecosystems, especially in the pre-commercial research phase. But as technologies mature, Europe must also protect its industrial base through strategic intellectual property (IP) policies.

The roadmap suggests:

·       Clear IP ownership models in public-private consortia.

·       Incentives for shared IP pools that facilitate innovation while protecting core assets.

·       Training and tools for startups and research institutions to manage their IP portfolios effectively.

This balance is particularly important in quantum, where long R&D timelines require early collaboration, but late-stage success depends on IP defensibility.

➤ Standards Development: From Fragmentation to Interoperability

Without standards, there is no scale. And without scale, there is no sovereignty. That’s why the roadmap urges a coordinated European effort to shape global quantum standards, working with bodies such as:

·       ISO (International Organization for Standardization)

·       CEN-CENELEC (European Committee for Standardization / Electrotechnical Standardization)

·       ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute)

Priorities include:

·       Common interfaces for quantum communication protocols.

·       Hardware compatibility standards for QKD, QRNGs, and quantum sensors.

·       Software stacks that enable portability across quantum hardware vendors.

Europe must avoid the trap of fragmented ecosystems and incompatible platforms. Standardisation is not bureaucracy—it is strategy.

Governance as a Competitive Advantage

Ultimately, Europe’s regulatory approach aims to turn what some see as constraints into sources of strength. By fostering trustworthy innovation, the EU positions itself not just as a technological actor, but as a norm-setter in the emerging global quantum order.

This is the European model in action: combining scientific ambition with democratic oversight, market competitiveness with ethical foresight, and innovation with accountability.

If the 20th century was shaped by nuclear regulation and the 21st by data governance, then the governance of quantum may well define the decades to come.

A Quantum-Ready Workforce: Building the Talent Pipeline

No quantum future is possible without the people to build it. From quantum physicists to cryogenics engineers, from algorithm developers to systems architects, the workforce required to industrialise quantum technologies is highly specialised—and currently in short supply.

The Strategic Industry Roadmap 2025 (SIR 2025) sounds the alarm and proposes an ambitious strategy to prepare, attract, and retain talent across the entire quantum value chain.

➤ Education: Quantum from the Ground Up

To avoid a structural talent gap, quantum skills must be integrated early and broadly into Europe’s education systems. The roadmap calls for:

·       New quantum curricula at undergraduate and graduate levels, blending physics, engineering, computer science, and ethics.

·       Quantum awareness modules in non-STEM programmes (law, business, policy) to support interdisciplinary governance.

·       Outreach to secondary schools to foster early interest and demystify the field.

Initiatives like the Quantum Flagship’s QTEdu will be expanded to reach all Member States, not just a few leading hubs.

➤ Vocational Training and Reskilling

Quantum is not just a playground for PhDs. Europe will need technicians, operators, and applied engineers to run its quantum infrastructure and integrate it into real-world systems.

To address this, the roadmap promotes:

·       Vocational programmes and apprenticeships in areas like cryogenics, photonics, and precision electronics.

·       Reskilling opportunities for professionals in telecoms, cybersecurity, and advanced manufacturing.

·       Certification schemes to standardise skills and recognise expertise across borders.

This approach mirrors successful models in renewable energy and aerospace—where technical talent pipelines have been key to industrial scaling.

➤ Talent Mobility and Brain Circulation

Retaining talent is just as important as training it. Europe must reverse the current trend of quantum researchers and entrepreneurs leaving for better-funded ecosystems in the US or Asia.

SIR 2025 proposes:

·       Competitive fellowship and grant schemes for postdocs and early-career researchers.

·       Mobility programmes within the EU and associated countries, allowing talent to move without friction.

·       Stronger links between academic labs and startups, offering real-world experience and career pathways outside academia.

A dynamic, well-connected ecosystem will help Europe retain its best minds and attract global talent.

➤ Diversity and Inclusion

Innovation thrives on diversity, yet quantum science remains heavily male-dominated and geographically concentrated. The roadmap aims to change that through:

·       Gender targets in EU-funded projects.

·       Support for women-led quantum startups and academic careers.

·       Inclusion of underrepresented regions and minority communities in funding and training programmes.

Europe’s quantum future must reflect the diversity of its societies—not just in principle, but in practice.

Talent as Strategic Infrastructure

SIR 2025 treats human capital as infrastructure, just as critical as fabs, lasers, or satellite links. Without people, Europe’s investments in quantum hardware and research facilities will not deliver returns.

By treating the quantum workforce as a strategic asset, Europe positions itself to compete not only on ideas and technology—but on people and purpose.

Startups, Scaleups, and the Funding Crunch

Europe’s quantum research ecosystem is world-class. But when it comes to turning lab breakthroughs into global companies, the continent faces a critical vulnerability: a fragmented and undercapitalised innovation pipeline.

The Strategic Industry Roadmap 2025 (SIR 2025) tackles this head-on, framing the support of startups and scaleups not as a side issue—but as a national security-level challenge. Without a healthy deep-tech venture landscape, Europe risks losing its most promising innovations to foreign acquisition or financial attrition.

➤ The Innovation Paradox

Europe excels at funding early-stage research but struggles with the so-called “valley of death”—the gap between academic proof-of-concept and commercial scalability. Quantum technologies, with their long development timelines and high capital intensity, are particularly vulnerable.

The result?

• A handful of promising startups starved of growth capital.
• Founders spending more time fundraising than building.
• Breakthrough IP acquired by foreign firms due to exit pressures.

SIR 2025 warns that without targeted action, Europe could face a "quantum extinction event"—where entire cohorts of startups quietly disappear.

➤ Reforming Public Investment Instruments

The roadmap recommends an overhaul of the EU’s investment toolkit to match the capital needs of deep-tech ventures:

• Raise the equity investment ceiling of the EIC Accelerator from €15M to €50–75M, allowing public funding to follow companies into scaleup stages.
• Enable public-private co-investment schemes where institutional funds match EU grants or convertible loans.
• Allow European funding bodies to lead investment rounds, signalling market confidence and attracting private capital.

These measures aim to close the gap with the US and China, where venture capital for quantum already runs into the hundreds of millions per company.

➤ Supporting Founders Beyond Capital

Money is necessary—but not sufficient. Europe also needs a culture of quantum entrepreneurship, including:

• Founder-focused training in IP management, go-to-market strategy, and regulatory navigation.
• Access to European testing and prototyping infrastructure, reducing capital burn.
• “Soft landing” support for internationalisation and procurement readiness.

SIR 2025 promotes the creation of a pan-European support network for quantum entrepreneurs, inspired by programmes like the US SBIR or Israel’s Yozma initiative.

➤ Public Procurement as a Market Catalyst

Europe’s public sector is one of the world’s largest buyers of advanced technologies. Yet in quantum, it remains an underutilised market driver.

The roadmap calls for:

• Dedicated quantum procurement programmes in defense, space, health, and cybersecurity.
• Challenge-driven contracts that allow startups to validate and improve products in real-world environments.
• Harmonised procurement policies across Member States to enable cross-border scale.

By buying early, the public sector can de-risk innovation, signal strategic priorities, and build a domestic market base.

➤ Preventing Strategic Dependence

Finally, SIR 2025 stresses the importance of keeping key quantum capabilities in European hands. This includes:

• Screening of foreign investments in sensitive sectors.
• Building sovereign supply chains for cryogenics, photonics, and quantum chips.
• Incentivising European IPOs and pension fund participation in quantum ventures.

Europe must move beyond merely funding startups—it must create the conditions for them to grow, stay, and lead from within the Union.

Quantum for Society: Aligning with the SDGs

Quantum technologies may be born in physics labs, but their destiny lies in solving real-world challenges.

The Strategic Industry Roadmap 2025 (SIR 2025) firmly embeds quantum development within a broader societal mission—one aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Rather than treating quantum as a domain reserved for elite science or military strategy, the roadmap imagines it as a transformative toolbox to tackle some of humanity’s most urgent problems: from climate change and clean energy to secure democracies and personalised healthcare.

➤ Quantum and Climate: Enabling the Green Transition

Quantum computing and quantum sensors could dramatically accelerate the green and digital transitions by enabling:

·       High-precision climate modelling and simulation of atmospheric dynamics, aiding more accurate policy responses.

·       Quantum simulations of new materials for energy storage, batteries, and low-carbon technologies.

·       Enhanced monitoring of environmental pollutants through portable, ultra-sensitive quantum sensors.

·       Quantum-optimised logistics and supply chains, reducing emissions in transport and manufacturing.

These capabilities align with SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure).

➤ Quantum for Health and Well-being

Medical applications of quantum sensing and computing are no longer speculative. The roadmap foresees:

·       MRI-like imaging at the cellular level, made possible by quantum sensors with nanometric resolution.

·       Acceleration of drug discovery and protein folding simulations, reducing the time and cost of bringing treatments to market.

·       Personalised medicine through quantum-enhanced data analytics on complex biological systems.

These innovations support SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) by enabling more effective and accessible diagnostics.

➤ Digital Sovereignty and Trusted Infrastructures

As democracies face rising threats from cyberattacks and disinformation, the need for secure communication infrastructure becomes existential. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) offer:

·       Forward-proof protection of state and citizen data, even against future quantum attacks.

·       Enhanced trust in public services, from voting systems to medical records.

·       Resilience against hybrid and asymmetric threats, supporting societal stability.

These measures align with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

➤ Inclusion by Design

Importantly, the roadmap does not view quantum progress as an end in itself. It insists on inclusive governance, participatory innovation, and equitable access to emerging technologies. This includes:

·       Involving citizens in technology assessment and foresight processes.

·       Ensuring that quantum benefits reach rural and underserved regions, not just elite academic or financial centres.

·       Promoting gender balance and social diversity across the entire quantum ecosystem.

Technology in Service of Society

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Towards a Sovereign and Ethical Quantum Europe: The Road Ahead

The Strategic Industry Roadmap 2025 is more than a document—it is a blueprint for Europe's quantum destiny. It charts a path that is ambitious yet grounded, competitive yet cooperative, and technological yet deeply human. At its core lies a vision of quantum not merely as an industrial frontier, but as a societal project—one that demands leadership, inclusion, and shared purpose.

For Ireland and France, this roadmap is an invitation to deepen their partnership at the cutting edge of quantum innovation. Both countries bring complementary strengths: Ireland’s agile tech ecosystem and academic excellence, France’s industrial scale and infrastructure. Together, they can shape a European quantum landscape that is both sovereign and open, resilient and ethical.

The next decade will determine whether Europe becomes a rule-maker or a rule-taker in the quantum era. It will require bold political will, sustained investment, and visionary collaboration across borders and sectors. But if Europe can rise to this challenge—through coherent governance, empowered talent, and mission-driven innovation—it will not only master quantum technologies.

It will shape the future they make possible.

📥 You can download the full roadmap here: Link to the PDF