The fourth edition of the European Summer School on Quantum Artificial Intelligence (EQAI 2025)officially opened on Monday, September 1st, at the Bella Italia Village in Lignano Sabbiadoro (UD). The event has now established itself internationally as a key reference point for researchers and scholars in the field ofquantum artificial intelligenceQuantum Machine Learning (QML) is a discipline that leverages quantum computing to enhance or solve machine learning (AI) tasks, exploiting quantum physics phenomena to allow computers to process information in entirely new ways—potentially delivering significant speedups and more complex capabilities compared to classical computers.
The initiative is organized by the University of Udine and the University of Verona, with organizational support from DITEDI – the Digital Cluster of Friuli Venezia Giulia. This year’s edition is sponsored by Google Quantum AI, a global leader in the field; Rotonium, an Italian deep-tech startup founded by Roberto Siagri and focused on scalable room-temperature quantum computers; and Photonics Italia, an association based at the Pordenone Technology Hub that promotes the development of photonics and quantum computing in Italy. President Marco Giacomini announced that registration is entirely free for students.
This edition has attracted 49 participants from 19 countries across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia. Only 14 participants are from Italy, while the others come from Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Romania, Spain, Poland, Switzerland, India, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, France, Chile, Portugal, and the Czech Republic.
The program features talks from 8 internationally renowned speakers, selected by the School’s Scientific Committee, composed of Professors Giuseppe Serra and Carla Piazza (University of Udine), Alessandra Di Pierro (University of Verona), with contributions from Simone Montangero (University of Padua) and Francesco Petruccione (Professor of Quantum Computing at Stellenbosch University, South Africa). Among this year’s lecturers are Barry Sanders, Director of the Institute for Quantum Science and Technology at the University of Calgary (Canada) and a world-leading expert in quantum computing; Davide Venturelli, an Italian physicist based in Miami (Florida) and Research Director of Quantum Physics at USRA (Universities Space Research Association), an independent institute collaborating with NASA; Amira Abbas, a young researcher at Google Quantum AI (USA); and Alessandro Luongo, a Friulian researcher in Quantum Algorithms at the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) in Singapore.
Francesco Contin, Director of DITEDI, stated: “EQAI 2025 represents a unique opportunity for students, researchers, and professionals to engage with the latest innovations in quantum computing applied to artificial intelligence. The initiative is designed to foster the exchange of scientific knowledge and expertise among international participants and to encourage reflections on potential research and industrial applications. Above all, we aim to attract and channel these skills into the regional ecosystem, consolidating Italy’s and Friuli Venezia Giulia’s role as a hub of reference in the international landscape of quantum research. The activities, organized by DITEDI as part of cluster development initiatives funded by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (LR 3/2015), will conclude on Friday, September 5th."
“EQAI has become an important event for the scientific and industrial Quantum AI community,” emphasized Prof. Giuseppe Serra, Director of the AI Lab at the University of Udine and organizer of the event together with Professors Alessandra Di Pierro and Carla Piazza. “Year after year, the school attracts talent and experts from all over the world. Hosting more than 35 international speakers in past editions from leading universities and companies in the USA, Singapore, the Netherlands, and Australia highlights its role and its ability to connect cutting-edge research with industrial applications.”
The activities, organized by DITEDI as part of cluster development initiatives funded by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (LR 3/2015), will conclude on Friday, September 5th.
It is also worth noting that on September 1st, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region published a public call for proposals to select joint research projects in quantum computing and quantum communication, aimed at universities, public research bodies, and nationally relevant companies based in the region.
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