Quantum Technologies
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation promotes a range of actions and initiatives aimed at encouraging international debate on opportunities for growth and development within the quantum technologies ecosystem. In 2025, it also contributed to the drafting of the Italian Strategy for Quantum Technologies.
Submitted to the Council of Ministers on 30 July 2025, the Strategy is based on four priority pillars [1]:
- scientific and industrial development across the five pillars of quantum technologies (computing, simulation, communication, sensing and basic science);
- the creation of an integrated national ecosystem, from research to industry;
- internationalisation and security, through active positioning in EU programmes and the protection of critical technologies;
- governance and measurability, in order to monitor and update strategic actions.
The quantum ecosystem in Italy
Quantum technologies are a frontier field with applications across numerous sectors and rank among the critical technologies for countries’ future competitiveness, given their transformative potential in the industrial, economic, employment and national security spheres.
In Italy, the industrial sector linked to quantum technologies is still emerging and is being supported to a large extent by public investment under the NRRP. Over the three-year period 2023–2025, more than EUR 140 million was allocated to the development of the sector, helping to foster an ecosystem that also involves private actors.
On the one hand, startups and technology companies are developing quantum solutions and services; on the other, user companies are experimenting with these technologies in order to preserve a long-term competitive edge. Foreign companies and innovators active in the quantum sector are also showing strong interest in Italy.
Cooperation between research and industry is a key factor in accelerating the development of the sector. In this context, several centres of excellence are emerging across the country, engaged in the development of hardware and software technologies and in their integration with existing infrastructures. These include CNR, INFN, INRIM and IIT.
Italian scientific excellence is also fostering the creation of startups and university spin-offs, demonstrating both the growing vitality of the sector and its attractiveness to private investors.[2]
Among the most significant initiatives for the national quantum ecosystem are the inauguration of Italy’s first quantum computer — Partenope, at the University of Naples Federico II — and the development of a new quantum computing system integrated into the Leonardo HPC supercomputer, within the framework of the European EuroHPC JU initiative, with the support of CINECA.
The role of MAECI
The potential implications of quantum technologies offer significant opportunities in terms of economic growth, industrial innovation and global competitiveness. MAECI and Office IV of the Directorate General for Growth and Export Promotion therefore play a leading role in supporting the internationalisation of Italian companies and in promoting an ecosystem conducive to attracting investment and talent.
In this process, the scientific and economic diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is essential to effectively promote and support the international projection of companies within the Country System, including in a frontier sector such as quantum technologies.
At the initiative of MAECI, INNOVIT, the Italian Innovation and Culture Hub established by the Ministry in San Francisco, will launch in 2026, for the first time, a programme specifically dedicated to cybersecurity and quantum technologies (Call4Innovit), reflecting the growing attention devoted to the sector.
In practical terms, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also supports the internationalisation of companies operating in this sector through participation in the leading international trade fairs and technology conferences dedicated to deep tech and related fields.
[1] Strategia italiana per le tecnologie quantistiche | Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca
[2] Report_completo_consultazioni_Ecosistema_industriale_italiano_delle_TQ.pdf
Ultimo aggiornamento: gennaio 2026