Quantum Technologies and Industry
Towards Quantum Made in Portugal
Date: Friday, 22 May 2026, 10:00 – 13:00
Venue: Sala 2, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon
Format: in-person
Register here until Tuesday, 19 May 2026.
The workshop will address the roles of industry in quantum ecosystems, including providing use-cases, developing classical technologies enabling quantum industry, and developing innovation in quantum technologies.
The workshop is organised by the Centre for Quantum Innovation and Industrialisation of PQI – Portuguese Quantum Institute, in the context of its initiative Quantum Made In Portugal.
Organising Committee: João Pimentel (Instituto da Soldadura e Qualidade), José Reis Santos (PQI – Portuguese Quantum Institute), Maria João Graça (Instituto Português da Qualidade), Paulo Soeiro (Visabeira), Yasser Omar (IST, ULisbon & PQI – Portuguese Quantum Institute)
Programme
09:30 – Registration
10:00 – Opening address, Dr. Bernardo Correia, Secretary of State for Digitalisation
10:20 – The Revolution of Quantum Technologies, Yasser Omar (IST, ULisbon & PQI – Portuguese Quantum Institute)
10:40 – Quantum Europe Strategy: Opportunities for Industry, Oscar Diez (Deputy Head of Unit Quantum Technologies, DG Connect, European Commission)
11:00 – Break
11:20 – Industrial Opportunities in Quantum Computation and Quantum Sensing, Philippe Bouyer (Chair of the Executive Board of Quantum Delta NL)
11:40 – Industrial Opportunities in Quantum Communications, Johanna Sepulveda (Technical Domain Manager Quantum Technologies, Airbus Defence and Space GmbH)
12:00 – Quantum Supply Chain, Celia Merzbacher (Executive Director of QED-C – Quantum Economic Development Consortium & SRI International)
12:20 – Panel discussion, Towards Quantum Made in Portugal
12:50 – Concluding remarks
13:00 – End
Invited speakers
Celia Merzbacher
Dr. Celia Merzbacher is Executive Director of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), a global, industry-driven consortium managed by SRI International that aims to grow the quantum economy. Dr. Merzbacher has more than two decades of experience leading large multidisciplinary partnerships and programs at the intersection of government, industry, and academia. Previously she was Assistant Director for Technology R&D at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. She was named a member of the Quantum 100 as part of the International Year of Quantum for her dedication and contributions and is on the US delegation to the NATO Transatlantic Quantum Community. She serves as an advisory to several quantum organizations and is a Fellow of the AAAS.
Johanna Sepulveda
Johanna Sepúlveda received her M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering – Microelectronics from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. She was a Senior Researcher in the area of security and emerging technologies at the University of South Brittany (France), INRIA (France) and at the Technical University of Munich (Germany). Currently, she holds a position as the Airbus Senior Expert on Quantum-Secure Technologies and Technical Domain Manager for Quantum Technologies in all Airbus Defence and Space, being Chief Engineer of different European quantum initiatives such as the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI).
Oscar Díez
Oscar Diez is the Deputy Head of Unit for Quantum Technologies at the European Commission, where he leads strategic initiatives to position Europe as a global leader in the quantum domain. With a robust background in both academia and public sector innovation, he previously served as Head of the Datacentre at the European Medicines Agency in London. Dr. Diez holds a PhD in Computer Science from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and a Master’s in Open eGovernment from Stockholm University. He also shares his expertise as an adjunct professor at IE University in Madrid. His work focuses on fostering scientific excellence, supporting industrial innovation, and advancing Europe’s competitive edge in quantum technologies.
Philippe Bouyer
Philippe Bouyer is a Professor (TU/e and UvA), Board Member, and Chair at Quantum Delta NL (QDNL), where he provides strategic leadership to advance the Dutch quantum technology ecosystem. A leading expert in quantum physics and precision measurement, he also serves as Editor-in-Chief of AIP-AVS Quantum Science. His career spans academia, research, and entrepreneurship—he co-founded one of the first startups in quantum sensing, served as Research Director at CNRS, and held senior positions at prestigious institutions including Institut d’Optique Paris-Saclay and Stanford University.
VENUE
Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian
Av. de Berna, 45A, 1067-001 Lisbon
