Call for Evidence EU Quantum Act
The Chemnitz Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) represents the economic interests of more than 80,000 companies in the Chemnitz chamber district and acts as the central voice of a region that plays a key role within the European semiconductor landscape.
Saxony with its core of ‘Silicon Saxony’, together with its industrial and scientific partners, forms the most powerful microelectronics and nanotechnology region in Europe. A strong scientific environment with universities, research institutes and specialised clusters for microelectronics, photonics and quantum technologies creates ideal conditions for close integration of research and industrial application. The region exemplifies Europe's potential in microelectronics, but also the structural challenges that make consistent industrial scaling difficult. Against this backdrop, the Chemnitz Chamber of Industry and Commerce welcomes the opportunity to comment specifically on the development of the Quantum Act.
The Quantum Europe Strategy emphasises that quantum technologies will be crucial not only for science and the economy, but also for Europe's security, resilience and technological sovereignty. The Chemnitz Chamber of Industry and Commerce shares this assessment and stresses that Europe will only remain internationally competitive if research strength, industrial scalability and qualified specialists are systematically brought together.
NECESSITY OF LINKING THE QUANTUM ACT AND THE CHIPS ACT
Against this backdrop, the Chemnitz Chamber of Industry and Commerce emphasises that the Quantum Act must be closely linked to the European semiconductor strategy. Quantum technologies are highly hardware-driven: qubit platforms, photonic circuits, cryogenic electronics and quantum communication modules can only be scaled up if suitable manufacturing and integration capacities are available in Europe. The Quantum Europe Strategy itself points out that Europe needs industrial structures to get ‘from lab to fab to market.’ In hardware development in particular, close ties to the existing semiconductor industry are therefore indispensable, both operationally and legislatively.
PILOT LINES AND A EUROPEAN QUANTUM FAB CONCEPT
The establishment of European pilot lines is of central importance for the successful implementation of the Quantum Act. These lines are intended to demonstrate and optimise quantum-compatible components, integrated circuits and packaging processes under industrial process conditions. From the perspective of the Chemnitz Chamber of Industry and Commerce, pilot lines should not be seen as isolated islands of research, but rather as a bridge infrastructure that brings together university research, industrial manufacturing and SMEs. Here, too, the connection to the EU Chips Act is clear.
The Chemnitz region offers ideal infrastructure conditions for establishing or expanding such pilot lines. Embedding them in an existing microelectronics ecosystem shortens development times, enables high process stability and creates early opportunities for cooperation with medium-sized suppliers. Such infrastructure would pave the way for a European ‘quantum fab’ – a concept that should be seen as a necessary prerequisite for scalability. It is crucial that industrialisation does not start too late. Only if manufacturing routes are tested and standardised at an early stage will Europe remain internationally competitive. Chemnitz plays a special role in this regard due to its concentrated expertise, skilled workforce and existing manufacturing capacities.
INVOLVEMENT OF SMEs AND SUPPLIER NETWORKS
From the perspective of the Chemnitz Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises is key to the success of the Quantum Act. Quantum technologies are not scaled solely by large research institutions or major investments, but by a complex network of specialised suppliers of materials, components, software, measurement technology and equipment. Saxony has a particularly high density of such companies, which provide important enabling technologies for quantum technologies.
The Quantum Act should therefore provide funding structures that give SMEs easy access. These include low-threshold funding modules, simplified application and reporting formats, test bed quotas and the opportunity to participate in pilot lines at an early stage. SMEs are often drivers of innovation, particularly in the development of new manufacturing concepts, but they depend on stable partnerships and accessible infrastructure. Cluster organisations can act as intermediaries between SMEs, research and politics and should be explicitly involved in the implementation of the Quantum Act.
AVOIDING ADDITIONAL BUREAUCRACY AND UTILISING ESTABLISHED FUNDING PROGRAMMES
Within the framework of the EU Quantum Act, the Chemnitz Chamber of Industry and Commerce believes it is imperative not to create new parallel funding lines. With programmes such as Eureka and Horizon Europe, Europe already has established, internationally compatible and proven funding instruments at its disposal. The development and industrialisation of quantum technologies should be carried out consistently through these existing mechanisms, rather than introducing new programmes that would fragment the funding environment.
At the same time, the Quantum Act must avoid creating additional bureaucracy. Even today, many European funding programmes require considerable administrative resources, which deter SMEs in particular from participating. Further expansion of formal requirements would slow down the dynamic development of the European quantum ecosystem and inhibit investment.
As many quantum technologies are dual-use relevant, balanced European governance is necessary. Security interests must be taken into account, but must not unduly restrict innovation processes. At the same time, clear European IP regulations are needed to enable collaborative research and strengthen commercial exploitation. Instead, the Quantum Act should work towards simplifying administrative processes, integrating existing programmes and thus creating a funding landscape that accelerates the transfer of research into industrial applications.
SKILLED WORKERS, SKILLS ACADEMY AND INTERCONNECTION WITH THE CHIPS ACT
Reliable access to skilled workers is central to the success of the Quantum Act. Quantum technologies and semiconductor technology require largely identical qualification profiles: specialised technicians, engineers and plant experts. Therefore, the European Quantum Skills Academy and the Skills initiatives of the Chips Act must be closely linked rather than operating in parallel. Europe needs a coherent training and continuing education ecosystem that strengthens technical job profiles, facilitates retraining and bundles modern learning paths for both technology areas.
Campaigns to attract young talent must start early, strengthen STEM skills in schools and attract more young people, especially women, to technical professions. However, these measures must not be hampered by additional bureaucracy. Training programmes must be streamlined, practical and unbureaucratic so that the development of a European talent pool is not hindered.