The Path to Fruitful Partnerships in Quantum

Just like partnerships in quantum, the Path to Fruitful Partnerships in Quantum Computing webinar was dynamic and fun, yet challenging. This could be said for both the speakers and the audience! The Webinar was hosted by QuiC Work Group Ecosystems lead Tanya Suarez Ph.D. , the CEO of BluSpecs and IoT Tribe and Bruno G. Taketani from IQM Quantum Computers who were joined by experts from the industry representing a wide array of quantum technologies and experience:

• QuantrolOx | Freddie Faulkner - Product Manager
• IQM Quantum Computers | Inés De Vega - Head of Quantum Innovations
• 英飞凌 | Sebastian Luber - Senior Director Technology & Innovation
• Airbus Defence and Space | Johanna Sepúlveda

We can all agree that finding the right partner is hard. The process of ensuring that two entities are culturally aligned, share the same goals, and complement each other is a steep hill to climb. Add a complex and blooming topic like quantum technology into the mix and that hill starts looking like Mount Everest. However, forging partnerships speeds up development and encourages increased innovation. This is particularly important in Quantum, considering its early-stage (yet rapid) development, high resource requirements and expertise demands - and of course,? their impact.?

The approach to partnerships does not vary greatly between sectors: a business identifies a need for collaboration and begins the search for the missing piece of the puzzle. That piece could be a technological domain that cannot be covered in-house, a need for scaling and expanding scope, or simply an influx of fresh ideas. An issue arises, however, when dealing with technologies on the very bottom of the technology readiness scale - when the market is akin to a small village with plenty of (intellectual) property rights to compete for.??

The domain of IP rights is one that can make or break a partnership. Starting the partnership with a room full of lawyers will ensure a company is legally water-tight but may well hinder innovation. IP, and legal agreements, should be a safety net rather than a guiding principle of a partnership. A robust, detailed set of guidelines, agreed upon at the beginning of the journey - not a continuous thorn in the side throughout the process.

Overall, this session was a resounding success: 124 registered from 24 countries, including 16 executives. Over half of all attendees were providers of quantum technologies, ensuring the topics were relevant, current and in line with industry needs. From the session, we established 4 key learnings:

1. Identify and find your complementarities, get that missing puzzle piece. Compare your puzzles and look at the big picture for all parties
2. Partnership goes beyond the exchange, get to know each other-make sure that your values and goals are aligned, both in present and the future
3. Use IP rights and rules wisely, from day zero. Don't over do it but make sure your ideas and innovations are protected.?
4. Communicate…keep, and share the excitement along the way. The ocean of opportunities, future developments and potential in quantum make these partnerships more exciting and fruitful.?

This was the first public webinar organised by the Ecosystem work group within the?European Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC). Make sure to keep an eye out for the next one!

Written by Zuzana Ku?íková