Quantum Ireland Launch – April 14th at TCD Pic Paul Sharp/SHARPPIX
The CONNECT Centre was proud to participate in the launch of Quantum Ireland, a new national industry working group focused on accelerating Ireland’s quantum technology ecosystem. The event, held on World Quantum Day (April 14), brought together nearly 200 attendees from across academia, enterprise, and government.
Quantum Ireland aims to foster collaboration among quantum technology providers, end-users, researchers, startups, and multinationals, and plays a key role in supporting the ambitions outlined in Ireland’s Quantum 2030 strategy.
Professor Dan Kilper, Director of the CONNECT Centre, chaired a panel discussion on Applications of Quantum Technology. The session featured perspectives from leaders at Citi, APC, and Equal1, and highlighted real-world opportunities for quantum innovation in areas such as finance, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing.
“Quantum Ireland is just so exciting because it brings the industry together,” said Prof. Kilper. “It’s driven by industry and shows the tremendous interest in quantum coming from our local innovation ecosystem. At CONNECT, we’re bringing quantum into networking and working with these industries to realise the full potential of quantum technologies for Ireland.”
Other highlights from the day included:
- A keynote address from the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Mr. Peter Burke T.D., who spoke about quantum as a key pillar of Ireland’s innovation and enterprise strategy.
- An update on the IrelandQCI project from Dr Deirdre Kilbane, Director of Research at the Walton Institute, South East Technological University, and IrelandQCI Project Lead, on progress towards building a national quantum communication infrastructure.
- A panel on education and skills in quantum, featuring Dr Venkatesh Kannan, Associate Director of ICHEC and fellow IrelandQCI partner.
The IrelandQCI project, proposed when CONNECT was approached by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) and HEAnet set out to identify Ireland’s leading experts to lead the country’s effort in the EuroQCI initiative, is playing an important role in developing Ireland’s quantum research infrastructure and is supporting Ireland’s nascent quantum industry sector. Led by Dr Deirdre Kilbane, at South East Technological University (SETU) on behalf of CONNECT Research Ireland Centre, the project brings together partners from across academia, government, and industry.
The launch of Quantum Ireland signals a powerful moment of convergence for Ireland’s quantum ecosystem. It reflects the country’s readiness to lead in quantum research, commercialisation, and cross-sector collaboration.
Congratulations and thanks to Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet, Fidelity Investments, Horizon Quantum, and IDA Ireland for their work in organising this milestone event.
CONNECT is committed to supporting national efforts like Quantum Ireland to build a world-class, collaborative quantum ecosystem.