After last year’s great success, the Quantum Festival returns to Pisa. This free initiative is dedicated to the in-depth study and exploration of research activities and the seemingly distant – yet very close – physical reality underlying the development of new quantum technologies, which are increasingly emerging as alternatives capable of revolutionising strategic sectors such as computing, telecommunications and cryptography. Promoted by the Departments of Computer Science and Physics of the University of Pisa (UniPI) and organised by members of the Pisa Quantum Group, the festival is supported by ICSC – National Research Centre in HPC, Big Data and Quantum Computing. The event will take place on 20 and 21 November 2025 in the Aula Magna of the Fibonacci Campus of the University of Pisa.
Alessandro Berti
‘In 2024, we were among the Quantum-themed festivals with the highest attendance worldwide,’ says Alessandro Berti, research fellow at UniPI, ‘with over 200 attendees. This year, we wanted to take it a step further by structuring the event into three tracks dedicated to different audiences: Education, Research, and Main.’
Education Track
20 November will be dedicated to education and research, not only at university level. The Education Track, aimed at secondary schools in Tuscany, was born out of the great enthusiasm generated in 2024. ‘The interest shown by schools was surprising, and we wanted to create a programme just for them,’ explains Giuseppe Bisicchia, a PhD student at UniPI.
Interactive activities and educational workshops
The programme includes interactive activities and educational workshops such as Qbrick with Pere Juarez Vives (University of Barcelona), Quanto with Pietro Paolo Gambelli (University of Trento) and Sebastiano Bresolin (University of Pisa), physical demonstrations of entanglement and quantum cryptography with Andrea Fioretti and Oliver Morsch (CNR-INO), Quantum Jungle with Maria Luisa Chiofalo (University of Pisa) and, finally, QTRIS with Alessandro Amabile (University of Naples Federico II).
Research Track
On the same day, in parallel, the Research Track will be a meeting point for young researchers from all over Italy and Europe. ‘We want to make Pisa a reference point for research on quantum technologies,’ emphasises Gabriele Tedeschi, PhD student at UniPI, ‘which is why we have activated our contacts in Italy and abroad to build a solid and open network.’ The day will include discussion sessions on emerging lines of research and two high-level speakers, Enrico Rinaldi, Head of Research and Development at Quantinuum, and Vittorio Vitale, Head of Quantum Algorithm Development at Pasqal.
Main Track
21 November will be dedicated to the general public with the Main Track, designed to spread quantum culture and raise awareness of the impact of these technologies on society and the economy. ‘We wanted to involve decision makers, communicators and industry representatives from across Europe to take the debate to a national and international level,’ explains Alessandro Poggiali, PhD student at UniPI. Among the expected guests are speakers from IBM Quantum, Intesa Sanpaolo, IonQ, Planckian, PsiQuantum, Rigetti, Unitary Fund and Bocconi University, an exceptional line-up that confirms Pisa as one of the most active centres for the promotion of quantum technologies in Italy.
Useful information
The Quantum Festival is a completely free event, made possible thanks to the support of sponsors such as ICSC – National Research Centre for High Performance Computing, Big Data and Quantum Computing, Quantinuum, Planckian, Rigetti. It is the result of the commitment of young researchers from the Pisa Quantum Group at the University of Pisa, who have invested their time and passion in bringing the most influential figures in European quantum research and industry to the Tuscan city.
To view the programme and participate in the Education Track or Main Track, visit: https://quantumfestival.it/
