Austria’s position as one of the world’s leading centres for quantum research is the result of a century of scientific excellence, strategic investment and international collaboration. Since the foundations of quantum mechanics were established 100 years ago, the country has built a thriving quantum ecosystem that now forms part of the Austrian Federal Government’s Industrial Strategy, which identifies quantum technologies as one of nine key technologies. A total of €2.6 billion has been earmarked to strengthen these key technologies by 2029.
Produced by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) with the support of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), the documentary explores Austria’s quantum ecosystem and highlights the people, institutions and companies shaping one of the world’s leading centres for quantum technologies.
A Technology That Will Shape the Next Century
One hundred years after the formulation of quantum mechanics, Austria is at the forefront of innovation in quantum physics—a field expected to transform science, technology and society over the coming decades.
Quantum technologies encompass several key application areas that are likely to define the next century, including:
- Quantum communication for secure information exchange through quantum encryption;
- Quantum computing for more efficient computation and scalable algorithms;
- Quantum sensing for highly precise measurements; and
- Quantum chip technologies that will underpin future quantum devices.
To illustrate both the achievements and future potential of Austrian quantum research, the documentary features leading experts from the field.
Gregor Weihs, Coordinator of the Cluster of Excellence Quantum Science Austria, explains how quantum mechanics is not only transforming our understanding of physics but also enabling the technologies of tomorrow. Quantum physicist and entrepreneur Rupert Ursin discusses how deploying quantum cryptography across Europe's fibre-optic networks can strengthen democratic resilience, while Sonja Bruckner of the Software Competence Center Hagenberg explains the differences between quantum and classical computers.
Investing in Europe’s Technological Future
"Quantum physics is a European and Austrian scientific strength. Our goal now is to build an industrial sector that secures prosperity and strengthens Europe's resilience. This documentary demonstrates that Austria has everything required to achieve this—we simply need to seize the opportunity," say FFG Managing Directors Henrietta Egerth and Karin Tausz.
They add:
"Investment in quantum technologies has been—and continues to be—money well spent. Austria's researchers and companies rank among the global leaders in this field, providing a competitive advantage that will continue to benefit the country. It is therefore essential to further expand this area and maintain its momentum."
Christof Gattringer, President of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), also underlines the strategic importance of quantum research:
"Quantum research is opening entirely new scientific and technological perspectives and is among the most innovative research fields of our time. Thanks to sustained long-term investment, Austria has developed excellent capabilities ranging from world-class basic research to early industrial applications and successful start-ups. At the FWF, quantum research remains one of our major funding priorities, including the Cluster of Excellence 'Quantum Science Austria' and projects supported through the Quantum Austria initiative."
A Multi-Billion-Euro Growth Market
The economic potential of quantum technologies is substantial. According to McKinsey's Quantum Technology Monitor 2025, the global quantum technology market is expected to grow from approximately €875 million in 2026 to around €90 billion by 2035.
Austria is exceptionally well positioned to benefit from this growth thanks to its dense network of universities, research organisations and innovative companies. These include the University of Innsbruck, TU Wien, the University of Vienna, Johannes Kepler University Linz and the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), alongside research organisations such as the Austrian Academy of Sciences' Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI), AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Silicon Austria Labs and the Software Competence Center Hagenberg.
The ecosystem is complemented by internationally active companies including Infineon, AVL, Alpine Quantum Technologies, ParityQC, Quantum Industries, QND, TTTech Auto, Beyond Gravity, Cancom and Nutshell Quantum.
Long-Term Investment Is Delivering Results
Long-term funding provided by the FWF and FFG, together with sustained public-sector investment, has enabled Austria to establish itself as a leading location for quantum research and innovation.
This quantum ecosystem supports the translation of scientific breakthroughs into practical applications while strengthening Austria's international position in one of the most important fields of modern science.
According to a study conducted by WIFO, IHS and JR, around €400 million has been invested in Austrian quantum research—covering both fundamental and applied research—over the past 30 years. The study concludes that Austria's success is built on the combination of excellent basic research, long-term funding and strong international collaboration.
Successful spin-offs such as Austrian Quantum Technology, ParityQC and Quantum Industries illustrate how scientific excellence is being transformed into commercially successful businesses.
Current National and European Investments
Between 2021 and 2026, FFG and FWF, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF), invested €107 million from the European Recovery and Resilience Facility through the Quantum Austria initiative to strengthen quantum research, quantum technologies and high-performance computing in Austria.
The recently published interim report provides an overview of the projects funded under Quantum Austria together with key performance indicators.
Additional national funding opportunities include Quantum to Market, QuantERA (including Joint Calls), the General Programme and Frontrunner, Eurostars, and COMET.
Austria also actively participates in major European initiatives and funding programmes, including EuroHPC, Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU), EuroQCI, EUREKA, Horizon Europe, the Quantum Flagship, the Chips JU Quantum Pilots, the Digital Europe Programme, and the Connecting Europe Facility.