The EU Quantum Flagship's annual conference, 30 November to 3 December 2026 at the Convention Centre Dublin: four days of talks, panels, posters and a new industry exchange day covering quantum computing, communication, sensing and workforce development for Europe's combined research, industry and policy community.
EQTC, the European Quantum Technologies Conference, is the annual flagship event of the EU Quantum Flagship, the European Commission's decade-long, EUR 1 billion research and innovation initiative in quantum science. It rotates host cities each year and gathers the Flagship's own consortia alongside the wider European quantum industry, national programme representatives and policymakers. The 2026 edition runs 30 November to 3 December at the Convention Centre Dublin, hosted locally by the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC), and adds a dedicated fourth day, Quantum Vertical Exchanges (QVX), aimed squarely at industry adoption rather than research results.
EQTC does not sell exhibition floor space to vendors in the way a commercial quantum conference does. Its centre of gravity is the Quantum Flagship's own governance: consortium leads reporting on funded projects, the European Commission setting direction ahead of the EU Quantum Act, and national quantum programmes (Ireland's own included, as host) comparing notes. Industry attends to track where public money and regulation are heading, not primarily to sell into the room. That distinction matters for anyone deciding whether to attend EQTC or one of the more commercially-oriented events on the European quantum calendar, such as Q-Expo or Commercialising Quantum Global.
| Pillar | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Quantum computing and simulation | Hardware platforms, error correction, algorithms, simulation use cases |
| Quantum communication | QKD, quantum networks, EuroQCI progress |
| Quantum sensing and metrology | Precision measurement, navigation, imaging applications |
| Quantum skills and workforce | Training pipelines, the European quantum labour shortage, education programmes |
Quantum Vertical Exchanges is EQTC 2026's addition on 3 December, run as a distinct track from the main three-day science and policy programme. It is structured around specific end-user verticals (the organiser has signalled finance, pharma, aerospace and defence as likely tracks, to be confirmed closer to the date) rather than around quantum hardware modalities, which is the more common way industry-facing quantum events segment their agenda. Its existence is itself a signal: the Flagship is explicitly trying to pull commercial adopters into an event that has historically skewed toward researchers and funded consortia.
EQTC is the policy-and-research anchor of a much larger annual circuit. Commercial industry events such as Q-Expo (Bilbao, May), Commercialising Quantum Global (London, June) and the various Q2B and IQT regional conferences compete for the same speakers and sponsors but skew toward enterprise adoption and dealmaking. QBC Summit, run by the European Quantum Industry Consortium, is the closest thing to a sibling event, but is members-only and roughly a third the size. EQTC's rotating host city (Dublin in 2026, after prior editions elsewhere in Europe) also makes it the one fixture on the calendar that systematically showcases a different national quantum research base each year.
Primarily researchers and engineers from Quantum Flagship-funded consortia, national quantum programme staff, European Commission and national government representatives, and industry participants tracking policy and funding direction rather than shopping for suppliers. It is not designed as a lead-generation event for vendors.
Yes. Registration is open to the public via eqtc2026.eu, with separate pricing tiers for public sector and industry attendees. Flagship membership or funding is not a precondition to attend.
Two things: the Dublin location, which puts Ireland's national quantum programme in the spotlight as host, and the new QVX industry exchange day, which is the Flagship's clearest attempt yet to build a dedicated bridge to commercial end-users rather than leaving that role to separate industry conferences.
The CCD is Dublin's purpose-built international conference venue on the north bank of the River Liffey, with a capacity well above the roughly 1,100 delegates EQTC expects. It is a short walk or tram ride from Dublin city centre and connected to Dublin Airport by direct bus.
The Quantum Flagship is one of the European Commission's Future and Emerging Technologies Flagship initiatives, a roughly EUR 1 billion, ten-year programme (2018-2028) funding quantum research across computing, communication, sensing and basic science. EQTC is its one recurring public-facing conference; local organisation for 2026 is handled by ICHEC, the Irish Centre for High-End Computing.
The closest thing European quantum technology has to an official annual assembly, valuable less for any single announcement than for who is in the room: the funding body, the standards writers and the companies both depend on.
Registration runs through eqtc2026.eu on a three-tier schedule that rewards early sign-up. As of last verification: early registration (through 14 September 2026) is EUR 350 for public sector, researchers and students (a limited EUR 250 student rate is also available) and EUR 550 for private sector and industry attendees; regular registration (through 2 November 2026) rises to EUR 400 and EUR 600 respectively; late registration (from 3 November 2026) is EUR 475 and EUR 675. The standalone QVX industry day can be booked separately at EUR 150 (early) to EUR 200 (late). A gala dinner on 30 November is a paid add-on at roughly EUR 31.
| Tier | Public sector / researcher / student | Industry / private sector |
|---|---|---|
| Early (through 14 Sep 2026) | EUR 350 (student EUR 250) | EUR 550 |
| Regular (through 2 Nov 2026) | EUR 400 | EUR 600 |
| Late (from 3 Nov 2026) | EUR 475 | EUR 675 |
| QVX day only | EUR 150-200 | EUR 150-200 |
Between EUR 350 and EUR 675 depending on registration tier and attendee category, or EUR 150-200 for the QVX industry day alone. Exact figures and deadlines are on eqtc2026.eu/registration.
Yes, a limited student rate of EUR 250 is available in the early registration window, alongside the standard public-sector/researcher tier.
No. Registration is open to anyone via the official site; Flagship funding or affiliation is not required.
| Official website | https://www.eqtc2026.eu/ |
| Registration | https://www.eqtc2026.eu/registration |
| Programme | https://www.eqtc2026.eu/programme |
| Quantum Flagship | https://qt.eu/events/eqtc-2026-european-quantum-technologies-conference |