Through the BIQAIN strategy, Biscay is committed to the knowledge and application of quantum technologies as a lever for social development and for strengthening the competitiveness of companies and the territory. This is not new.

In 2021, the first pillars of Biscay’s quantum strategy were put in place through an action plan aimed at creating a robust quantum sector around these technologies. The first frameworks for collaboration with technological and industrial companies were established to develop innovative projects in this field.

At that point, the need arose to define what type of community would be best suited to achieve these objectives. In the literature, we can find different traditional organizational forms, such as company–startup alliances, joint ventures, R&D consortia, and others. These traditional forms require control mechanisms and clear, well-defined regulations. Until now, such schemes have supported the deployment of classical technologies, but are they suitable for something as pioneering and singular as quantum technologies?

SEARCHING FOR A COMMUNITY MODEL ADAPTED TO QUANTUM

Until quantum science entered our lives, science understood the world as a great machine made up of thousands of components. If we could decipher the rules governing those components, we would be able to predict exactly what would happen. This “classical” vision was also extrapolated to the organizational sphere, creating rules, hierarchical structures, and detailed plans that defined a fixed path forward.

Quantum science is helping us change that perspective. The scientific community is discovering that not everything can be calculated in advance; instead, natural phenomena move within a range of possibilities. This does not mean that chaos reigns in nature, but rather that there is a significant element of uncertainty that directly challenges classical deterministic ideas. Just as in other scientific advances, where we have copied nature’s solutions, such as airplane wings inspired by birds or solar panels inspired by plant leaves, we needed a more natural organizational form. Does the word ecosystem ring a bell?

AN EXPLANATORY ANALOGY

Let us think of a small pond. Despite its limited size, a pond is a small world in constant motion. In its waters, different forms of life coexist, such as algae, insects, amphibians, and plants, which grow, transform, and adapt, guided only by the laws of nature that determine the success or failure of their actions. There is no predefined design or plan; balance emerges from the daily interactions among the different entities, some more visible and others almost imperceptible.

By analogy, an open innovation ecosystem does not function like a traditional organization, but rather like a natural space in which public administrations, startups, technology centers, research institutes, universities, industries, and other agents test solutions, explore ideas, and learn from one another.

Open innovation does not arise from a single actor, but from the natural interaction among the various participants in the ecosystem. As in the pond, the richness of the ecosystem lies not in control or rules, but in diversity and the ability to adapt to the uncertainty inherent in natural processes.

A WELL-TIMED LEAP

In 2021, within the Innovation Department of Lantik S.A.M.P. (Government of Biscay), we saw quantum technologies as the water of a pond that we could fill with life, and we did not hesitate to dive in. Today, thanks to the natural progress that has emerged around this water, the BIQAIN ecosystem includes:

• 15 supply-side startups.
• Access to more than 10 quantum platforms.
• 3 universities.
• 3 technology centers.
• 7 technology integrators.

The BIQAIN ecosystem is enabling coordinated progress in the development of quantum technologies and skills at the service of industry and society, making infrastructure, knowledge, and services available to the entire ecosystem in order to facilitate the creation of use cases that solve real problems faced by Biscay’s industry.

In this context, the BIQAIN ecosystem also participates in other systems such as the Basque Quantum alliance, as well as other national and European initiatives, including Quantum Spain and the European Quantum Flagship. All of this helps place the latest scientific advances at the service of society as a whole, generating a significant positive impact on the lives of our fellow citizens.

Advances in the study of quantum phenomena are helping us understand a part of nature that had remained hidden until now.

This less deterministic and more probabilistic dimension teaches us a reality in which flexibility prevails over rigid rules, and uncertainty over absolute certainty. And what could be wiser than imitating nature itself in order to move toward a better tomorrow?