Observatory of Quantum Technologies

February 2024 marks over 18 months since the first official group meeting of the Observatory of Quantum Technologies based at La Salle-URL, Barcelona.

Our aims

The observatory was established to trace the activities of quantum projects in Europe as a way to understand the formation and development of quantum technologies and artificial intelligence as part of the social, economic and political context in which they are developing.

The Observatory is based in the Smart Societies Research Group at La Salle - Ramon Llull University and is led by Dr. Osvaldo Jimenez and Dr. Eóin Phillips.

We continue to expand our research scope and activities and look forward to sharing our results and analysis to anyone with an active interest in the technical, institutional and social/ethical developments related to quantum technologies.

We welcome contact from any interested parties.

Mapping Quantum Ecosystems

Revolutions or Innovations?

Quantum Capital

Quantum Sounds

Sustainability, Ethics and Responsible Innovation

Research Lines

Our Methodology

Since 2022, we have been carrying out extensive ethnographic and participant-led research to capture the current state of activity of quantum technology in Spain, building mixed-network maps and models to underpin our analysis.

From our base maps we have been using techniques from STS, history, anthropology and management studies to capture the dynamic social, political and economic structures and transformation that we believe should be central to any understanding of the ways in which quantum technologies, computation and artificial intelligence projects are developing.

Our task is multi-disciplinary and collaborative to the core. The work of the observatory comes out of our links with projects, laboratories, companies and artists, and is carried out through the assistance of researchers - and aspiring researchers - across La Salle's engineering, management and philosophy faculties.

Key talks and activities

Here are the some of the key talks and activities hosted or given by the observatory over the past year:

January 2023: IOTICAT and OQT Seminar Series on Quantum Information

  • Xavi Vilasis, ‘Quantum Mechanics’

February 2023, ‘Small Science: Perspectives on Contemporary Small-Scale Research Small Science’, UAB: https://www.uab.cat/web/actualidad/detall-noticia/small-science-workshop-2-3-february-2023-1345831710180.html?detid=1345879438882

  • Eóin Phillips, co-organisd with Xavier Roque (UAB), Gemma Cirac (UAB), and Enrique Perez (UB)

February - May 2023: IOTICAT and OQT Seminar Series

  • Osvaldo Jimenez (La Salle-URL), ‘Quantum Information’

  • Eduardo Fernandez (La Salle-URL_, ‘The paradigm of Quantum Computation: How to program on a Quantum Computer’

  • Agustin Zaballos (La Salle-URL), ‘Quantum Communications’

  • Daniel Cavalcanti (Algorithmiq), ‘Quantum Networks’

  • Parfait Atchade (MIT Media Lab ), ‘Quantum Machine Learning’

June 2023: Quantum Sounds Symposium organised by Oswaldo Jimenez and Reiko Yamada at https://www.icfo.eu/event/3284/quantum-sounds-symposium-/

  • Eóin Phillips led a roundtable discussion with Artur Garcia Saez (BSC-CNS) and Sound Artist Spencer Topel: "Quantum future in the field of arts and humanities".

  • Professor Rosa Ma Alsina-Pagès (La Salle-URL) led a roundtable with James Weaver (IBM) and Eduardo Reck Miranda (University of Plymouth).

July 2023: IOTICAT and OQT Seminar Series

  • Eóin Phillips ‘Social perspectives on emerging quantum ecosystems’

November 2023: Quantum Sounds Writing Retreat

  • Osvaldo Jimenez, Maciej Lewenstein (ICFO), Reiko Yamada, Antoine Reserbat-Plantey (CNRS-Chrea), Spencer Topel (Physical Synthesis), Eloy Piñol Jiménez (ICFO), Atac Imamoglu (ETH Zurich), Anna Sanpera (UAB), Eóin Phillips (La Salle-URL).