GQIG Quantum Infra Summit EU | Leuven October 2026

european economics at the GQIG Quantum Infra Summit EU 2026

The european economics team took part in the GQIG Quantum Infra Summit EU 2026, organised by the Global Quantum Industry Group (GQIG), an initiative of the International Semiconductor Industry Group (ISIG), and hosted at imec headquarters in Leuven, Belgium, on 1 and 2 October 2026.

Held under the theme “Computing & Secured Networks For The Next Era of Global Power”, the summit brought together executives, investors, policymakers and technical experts from the global quantum ecosystem around the three pillars of quantum infrastructure: computing, sensing and secure networks. Speakers included senior leaders from IBM, IQM, Pasqal, Rigetti, Atom Computing and Quantum Motion, alongside representatives of Europe’s national quantum programmes.

european economics attended as a Platinum sponsor, represented by Marc ISABELLE, Founder and CEO, Marie LAMBERT, Marketing and Communications Director, and Hedi [NAME], [title].

A strong track record in European public funding

Founded in 2009, european economics is an independent consultancy specialising in State aid and European funding for strategic industrial projects in Europe.

• 257 projects supported since 2009
• 46 billion euros in public funding secured
• 100% success rate on State aid notifications to the European Commission
• 211 clients, from fast-growing SMEs to large multinational groups, across all industrial sectors

On IPCEIs alone, european economics has secured 16 billion euros in funding for 151 projects, across each of the 14 IPCEIs launched to date and in 13 Member States.

In microelectronics, the industrial foundation of quantum technologies, the firm has supported 55 strategic projects across the entire value chain, representing 13 billion euros in public funding secured, from the first R&D programmes to the three microelectronics IPCEIs and the Chips Act.

Marc ISABELLE’s keynote

Marc ISABELLE, Founder and CEO of european economics, delivered his keynote on 1 October, entitled Unlocking Public Funding for Strategic Quantum R&D and Industrial Deployment Projects.

Addressing the participants of the GQIG Quantum Infra Summit EU 2026, our Founder and CEO offered a practical overview of the European public funding landscape for quantum technologies, from research to first industrial deployment. His presentation highlighted several key messages:

• Quantum technologies address all three priorities of the EU agenda, decarbonisation, innovation and competitiveness, resilience: public funding is available at every step, from lab to fab.
• Two complementary families of instruments: EU programmes (Horizon Europe and the Quantum Flagship, Chips JU for quantum-chip pilot lines, EuroHPC for six quantum computers, EuroQCI for secure communication) fund research and infrastructure; State aid, and IPCEIs first, funds industrial scale-up.
• The IPCEI Quantum, under preparation by ten Member States with the European Commission, covers quantum computing, communication, sensing and enabling infrastructure, from R&D to first industrial deployment, with aid of up to 100% of eligible costs. Its endorsement is expected at the JEF-IPCEI high-level meeting of 25 November 2026, with national calls in 2027 and Commission decisions expected around 2028 (indicative timeline).
• Pillar 2 of the Chips Act, which explicitly includes quantum chips, offers support for manufacturing investment unparalleled in other industries for first-of-a-kind facilities in Europe. It is the next step after the IPCEI.
• Design the project and its funding route together, from day one: a grant is engineered, not allocated. Above 50 million euros of aid, European Commission approval is required before the first payment, a one- to two-year process that must be prepared in advance.

Two days at the heart of Europe’s quantum ecosystem

The summit programme covered the key challenges of scaling up quantum technologies: quantum computing architectures, from silicon fab to supercomputer, secure quantum networks, the industrialisation of manufacturing in Europe, enabling technologies (cryogenics, control systems, interconnects) and policy leadership among Europe’s quantum nations, with a dedicated panel of national representatives.

The european economics team also took part in an exclusive visit of imec’s quantum facilities. imec is a leading research centre in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, home to some of Europe’s most advanced quantum cleanrooms.

Beyond the conference sessions and business meetings, european economics attended the cocktail reception and gala dinner held at De Hoorn, the heritage site of the former Stella Artois brewery in Leuven.

Quantum, a strategic priority for European public funding

european economics’ participation in the GQIG Quantum Infra Summit EU 2026 comes at a time of rapid structuring of public funding instruments dedicated to quantum technologies.

The Quantum Europe Strategy, presented by the European Commission in July 2025, sets the goal of making the EU a global quantum leader by 2030, by turning Europe’s scientific excellence into a competitive, sovereign and resilient industrial ecosystem. A Quantum Act is expected in 2026, focused on industrial capacity, quantum-chip pilot lines and supply-chain resilience. In parallel, national plans mobilise significant resources: around 3 billion euros in Germany, 1.8 billion euros in France and 0.8 billion euros in Spain.

On the IPCEI side, the JEF-IPCEI (Joint European Forum for IPCEI) decided in November 2025 to focus its 2026 identification work on quantum technologies. The IPCEI Quantum is currently being designed between ten Member States and the Commission, with industry consultations under way. Its status remains to be confirmed: endorsement is expected at the end of November 2026.

Let’s continue the conversation

european economics’ presence at the GQIG Quantum Infra Summit EU 2026 confirms its expertise in European public funding and its commitment to supporting the quantum industry, from R&D to first industrial deployment.

Could not meet us in Leuven and would like to discuss public funding opportunities for your projects in quantum or other strategic industrial technologies?

Contact us to arrange a meeting!