QUTE Summer School 2025: Third Edition in Vienna
The Quantum Technologies Summer School 2025 marked the third year in a row of this joint educational initiative, alternating annually between Bratislava and Vienna. From August 11–14, University of Applied Sciences Vienna became the meeting point for students and experts passionate about the future of quantum science. Organized by University of Applied Sciences Vienna (FHT Wien), the Institute of Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, and QUTE.sk – Slovak National Center for Quantum Technologies, the school provided a week-long journey into the exciting world of quantum research and applications.
Program Focus and New Elements
This year’s program covered the essential building blocks of the field: Quantum Algorithms, Quantum Cryptography, and Quantum Hardware. For the first time, participants also had the chance to attend a dedicated session on Didactics in Quantum Technologies, which opened discussions on how to effectively communicate and teach quantum concepts to different audiences. This addition reflected the growing importance of not only advancing quantum research but also making it accessible to a wider community.
Learning, Sharing, and Connecting
After the morning lectures, the afternoons were dedicated to hands-on workshops, giving participants the chance to put concepts into practice and explore quantum technologies in action. Just as important as the formal sessions were the coffee breaks, which became lively spaces for exchange and connection. The program also featured an industry pitch session, where companies presented their work, career opportunities, and perspectives on the future of quantum technologies. These moments—whether during informal conversations or formal presentations—allowed participants to meet peers from different backgrounds, connect with potential employers, share ideas, and build the kind of professional and personal networks.
Hands-On Quantum
The workshops were where things truly became exciting. To ensure that everyone could fully engage, participants were divided into smaller groups, giving each student the opportunity to interact closely with the experiments, ask questions, and gain hands-on experience. They observed real demonstrations of quantum interference, learned how an ion trap works, and explored fundamental concepts such as superposition and entanglement—seeing how these translate into real computational power through algorithms like Deutsch’s and Grover’s. Participants also had the chance to program quantum algorithms in Qiskit. In the field of secure communication, they studied the BB84 protocol, one of the most famous quantum key distribution schemes. This structure allowed every participant not only to observe but to actively take part in the experiments, making the learning process much more personal and memorable.
Why This School Matters
Quantum technologies are often described as “the future,” but what the QUTE Summer School made clear is that they are very much part of the present as well. Events like this highlighted how essential it is to prepare the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators for the quantum era. By combining high-level academic expertise with practical training, the school gave participants the tools to both understand and shape this rapidly advancing field. At the same time, it created a vibrant and international environment that encouraged curiosity, collaboration, and new friendships.
Looking Ahead
By the end of the week, what remained was more than just notes from lectures or skills from workshops. The third edition of the QUTE Summer School once again showed that the combination of knowledge, practice, and community is the key to inspiring young people to engage with quantum science and to building a network of curious minds ready to take on the challenges of the quantum era.
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