QUTE Summer School 2026: A Week of Hands-on Quantum Technology Education

_ 07/09/2026_ admin

The 4^th edition of the QUTE Summer School took place from 24 to 28 August 2026 in Bratislava at CENAM – Center of Nanomaterials and Advanced Materials, FMFI Comenius University, bringing together a record number of participants from Slovakia and abroad. With 80 participants, this year’s Summer School was the largest edition so far, creating an international environment for students, researchers, educators and quantum technology enthusiasts to learn, experiment and exchange ideas.

A central part of the Summer School was the strong emphasis on practical, hands-on learning. Alongside lectures and expert presentations, the programme gave participants the opportunity to explore quantum technologies through experiments, programming and direct interaction with quantum hardware.

The workshops covered a broad range of topics, including quantum entanglement, quantum key distribution, quantum computing, quantum algorithms and quantum didactics. This practical approach allowed participants with different backgrounds and levels of experience to engage with quantum technologies and gain a better understanding of how they work in practice.

Bringing a Real Qubit to the Room

One of the highlights of this year’s programme was a new hands-on workshop prepared in cooperation with the University of Žilina – Faculty of Management Science and Informatics (FRI UNIZA) and the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics of Comenius University (FMFI UK).

Participants worked with the SpinQ Gemini Lab, a portable desktop experimental platform for quantum computing designed primarily for education and research. The workshop introduced participants to the principles of nuclear magnetic resonance quantum computing and allowed them to explore qubit control, quantum coherence and basic quantum operations directly on real quantum hardware.

The collaboration demonstrated how access to compact experimental quantum platforms can help bring quantum technologies closer to students and educators and make otherwise abstract concepts tangible.

Seeing Quantum Technologies in Practice

Quantum communication was another important part of the programme. In addition to exploring the principles of quantum key distribution and the BB84 protocol, participants were introduced to a commercially available QKD system from ID Quantique, purchased within the skQCI project (part of EuroQCI).

The presentation attracted considerable attention and generated a lively discussion with many questions from the participants. For several, particularly younger participants, it was an eye-opening opportunity to see that quantum cryptography is no longer only a topic of research or a future technology. Commercially available QKD solutions already exist, and quantum communication is becoming an increasingly implemented part of the emerging quantum technology ecosystem.

As part of the programme, our colleagues from FMFI UK also prepared a guided tour of the university’s laboratories. The lab tour gave participants an opportunity to see the research and experimental facilities at FMFI UK and get a closer look at the environment in which quantum and related technologies are being used and developed.

Teaching Quantum Technologies at Schools

Following the tradition established last year in Vienna, one workshop at the Summer School was dedicated to quantum didactics and teaching quantum physics in schools.

Each day of the workshop was led by a different international tutor and focused on practical approaches to introducing quantum technologies to secondary school and undergraduate students. Participants, mostly high-school teachers, explored interactive teaching activities, educational tools and classroom demonstrations, as well as ways of explaining quantum concepts without relying heavily on advanced mathematics.

The workshop also provided space for participants to exchange experiences and discuss how quantum technologies can be presented in a way that is accessible, engaging and relevant to today’s students.

Strengthening International Cooperation

International cooperation has been an important part of the Summer School from the very beginning, bringing together students, educators, researchers and professionals from different backgrounds and countries. The fourth edition of the QUTE Summer School further strengthened the cooperation with FH Technikum Wien and the Slovak National Center for Quantum Technologies – QUTE.sk. The growing international participation confirms the value of creating a space where knowledge, experience and practical approaches to quantum technologies can be shared across institutions and borders, while bringing together expertise, students and educators creates valuable opportunities for knowledge exchange and future collaboration.

QUTE Summer school 2026 was organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic, and would not have been possible without the contribution of all the people and institutions involved in preparing the programme and delivering the workshops.

We would like to thank our partners and co-organisers from Comenius University – Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics (FMFI UK), FH Technikum Wien, University of Žilina (FRI), and the Research Center of Quantum Information (RCQI) at the Institute of Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, as well as all tutors and experts who contributed their time and expertise to the programme.

We are especially grateful to all the academic and industry speakers who joined us during the week and shared their knowledge, experience and perspectives on the development and real-world applications of quantum technologies.

Finally, a big thank you goes to all 80 participants who brought their curiosity, questions and enthusiasm to Bratislava. Their engagement, discussions and willingness to learn and experiment are what make the QUTE Summer School a growing and increasingly international community.

We look forward to continuing this journey and to welcoming an even broader quantum community at the QUTE Summer School 2027 in Vienna.