Spain has taken a significant step towards shaping its quantum technology ecosystem with the creation of the Spanish Quantum Alliance (SQuA), an initiative bringing together 53 organisations from business, academic and institutional sectors. PONS IP, the only global consulting firm specialising in intellectual property to join the alliance, will contribute its expertise in the protection, management and strategic valuation of intangible assets in advanced technological environments.
The aim of creating SQuA is to accelerate scientific development, knowledge transfer and the industrial application of quantum technologies, in line with the Spain’s Quantum Technologies Strategy and the recently strengthened priorities in the field of deep tech. This approach positions industrial property as a key tool for protecting critical capabilities, promoting technological sovereignty and consolidating a domestic industrial base in highly complex sectors.
The alliance brings together leading companies, technology centres, universities and industry associations that collectively represent the entire value chain of the quantum ecosystem. Its founding members include companies such as BBVA, Santander, Telefónica, Indra and Fujitsu; leading research centres such as ICFO, Tecnalia, Gradiant and CTIC; universities such as UCLM, UPC, UPNA and UPO; as well as associations and organisations within the ecosystem such as Adigital, Ametic, GAIA and SECPHO, alongside a dynamic network of start-ups and specialist companies such as Multiverse Computing, Quside, LuxQuanta, Qilimanjaro and IQM, among others.
In the words of Vanesa Díaz, president of SQuA and CEO of Luxquanta, “Spain has a robust quantum ecosystem, with leading research centres and a growing business community. SQuA was established to coordinate this scientific and technological capital and position the country as a key player in the coming quantum revolution”.
The launch of this partnership comes at a time of sustained growth in the sector, although there are significant challenges in terms of industrialisation. According to the report Mapping the global quantum ecosystem produced by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the OECD, quantum innovation has seen strong growth over the last decade, particularly in terms of patent generation, although challenges remain in bringing these advances to market and turning them into scalable business models.
The sector is set to become one of the key drivers of technological transformation, with forecasts estimating its market value at around €93 billion by 2035. This growth is underpinned by a global ecosystem comprising thousands of companies, where research-intensive start-ups coexist alongside large corporations that account for a significant proportion of patent activity and industrial scaling capacity.
In this context, industrial and intellectual property plays a key role. Effective management is crucial to protecting innovation, facilitating technology transfer and ensuring that the value generated translates into industrial capacity and economic competitiveness.
From this perspective, PONS IP’s involvement in SQuA reinforces the alliance’s strategic focus on maximising the value of knowledge. The industrial and intellectual property consulting firm has a proven track record in supporting technology companies, research centres and deep tech projects, where the structuring of intangible assets is a key factor in accessing funding, international collaboration and industrial development.
As Luis Ignacio Vicente, strategic advisor at PONS IP and the consulting firm’s representative at SQuA points out: “Industrial and intellectual property is a key component in the development of quantum technologies. At PONS IP, we support companies and research centres in protecting and capitalising on their innovations, helping to accelerate their adoption and strengthen the competitiveness of the ecosystem”.
The creation of SQuA and its recent presentation at Q-Expo 2026, held in Bilbao, reinforce the drive towards a public-private partnership model aimed at positioning Spain within the quantum technology value chain. The alliance will focus its activities on the sector’s key pillars, including computing, communications and sensing, promoting talent development, creating use cases and consolidating industrial capabilities.
