Italy's National Quantum Strategy: EUR 227 Million, an Approved Plan and a New Hub Idea
The short version
Italy is a big economy with a strong physics tradition, but it has been catching up in quantum funding compared with Germany, France and the United Kingdom. In 2025 the government put forward a national strategy, and late in 2025 a defense-led idea for a national quantum hub surfaced. This page lays out what is documented and what is still only proposed. For neighbors, see France and Germany.
The strategy document
The Quantum Insider reported on 2 March 2025 that the first draft of Italy's National Strategy for Quantum Technologies was open to public consultation, hosted by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR). The report describes a 65-page government document that covers quantum computing, communication, sensing and metrology. According to the MUR, the working group was set up by MUR with the foreign affairs, defence and enterprise ministries, the digital transformation department and the national cybersecurity agency.
The draft is candid about weaknesses. It names a fragmented ecosystem, a lack of domestic specialised foundries for quantum hardware, and a funding gap. It says Italy is stronger in quantum communication and sensing than in computing and simulation, which need large infrastructure such as processors and fabrication facilities.
Adoption status
The MUR news page dated 10 July 2025 says the strategy was approved by the Interministerial Committee for Digital Transition (CITD). The June 2026 article below likewise says Italy launched its National Quantum Strategy in 2025. The MUR page gives no euro figures, so the funding numbers below are reported estimates and needs, not commitments.
Funding figures
- EUR 227.4 million: the amount Italy invested in quantum technology from 2021 to 2024, per The Quantum Insider's reading of the report. That is less than Germany, France and the UK.
- Over EUR 140 million: channeled into quantum technologies over 2023 to 2025 by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), according to a June 2026 Politecnico di Milano observatory article. Do not add this to the figure above, because they likely overlap.
- About EUR 200 million per year for five years: the amount the strategy references as needed, though the same article says allocations still have to be confirmed in the national budget law. That is a need, not money delivered.
- EUR 12.5 million: venture capital raised by Italian quantum startups in 2023 to 2024.
- EUR 56 million: raised by three Italian native quantum computing companies in 2024 and 2025, versus EUR 235 million for six French ones, per the observatory article.
For context on how venture money compares worldwide, see the funding guide.
Governance plan
The observatory article describes a three-phase governance idea: a Permanent Committee for Quantum Technologies in the short term, a National Quantum Hub in the medium term, and a Quantum Foundation in the long term. The strategy also calls for national quantum labs and test facilities, more graduate and industrial PhD programs, tax credits and public-private partnerships.
The National Quantum Polo idea
On 19 December 2025 The Quantum Insider reported that Defence Minister Guido Crosetto proposed a National Quantum Polo at the Quantum States General in Rome, modeled on the US DARPA approach with rapid prototyping. See DARPA's benchmarking initiative for that model. The report gave no budget, site or timeline. It also noted that NRRP recovery funds are expected to begin phasing out, so private investment will need to fill the gap.
Labs, companies and hardware
From the observatory article:
- Two national bodies were founded in late 2022: the National Center for HPC, Big Data and Quantum Computing (ICSC) and the National Quantum Science and Technology Institute (NQSTI).
- Home-built quantum computers exist at the University Federico II in Naples and La Sapienza University in Rome.
- Startups include QSENSATO (quantum sensing), QTI (quantum key distribution), Planckian (hardware, spun out of Pisa), G2Q (software) and Ephos, awarded EUR 41.5 million in Chips Act funding for photonic chip manufacturing.
- IQM systems are installed in Turin and Bologna, and Pasqal installed a neutral-atom computer in Bologna in early 2026. See neutral atoms and IQM's systems.
- IonQ opened a European hub in Rome, and Algorithmiq moved its headquarters to Milan.
Who is buying
About 15 Italian end-user companies have publicly engaged in quantum computing projects over three years, with Intesa Sanpaolo, Leonardo and Eni named as leaders. The same article says 41% of large companies had begun building relationships with the quantum community. Compare with bank pilots worldwide.
What to watch
- Whether the EUR 200 million a year need reaches the budget law.
- Whether the Polo becomes a funded body with a site and a timeline.
- How Italy aligns with the EU Quantum Act, covered in the EU guide.
- What replaces recovery fund money as it phases out.
Education only, not financial advice. The QNT memecoin is independent and has no link to Italian programs or any quantum company.
Sources and further reading
- The Quantum Insider: Italy launches national quantum strategy (2 March 2025)
- MUR: Quantum technologies, a strategy for Italy (10 July 2025, in Italian)
- The Quantum Insider: Italy's National Quantum Polo (19 December 2025)
- Quantum Computing Report: overview of the Italian quantum ecosystem (June 2026)
Reported as of 2026-10-09. Research moves fast, so check the original papers and official pages.
Frequently asked questions
How much has Italy invested in quantum?
The Quantum Insider reports EUR 227.4 million from 2021 to 2024, and a Politecnico di Milano article says the recovery plan channeled over EUR 140 million in 2023 to 2025. The two figures likely overlap.
Is Italy's quantum strategy final?
A draft was opened to public consultation in February and March 2025, and the MUR reports approval by the Interministerial Committee for Digital Transition in July 2025. Budget allocations were still to be confirmed in the national budget law per a June 2026 article.
What is the National Quantum Polo?
A proposal by Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, reported in December 2025, for a hub that unites research, industry and security efforts. No budget or site was reported.
Is Italy strongest in quantum computers?
Not yet. The strategy says Italy is stronger in quantum communication and sensing, and weaker in computing and simulation.
Keep reading
- Europe's Quantum Landscape: Countries, Companies and the Big Picture
A plain English map of Europe's quantum push in 2026: national plans, flagship programs, shared supercomputer-linked machines and the startups behind them. - The EU Quantum Strategy and the Delayed Quantum Act
What Europe has committed to quantum, what the planned EU Quantum Act is meant to do, and why the proposal has slipped. - Germany's Quantum Plan: Billions, DLR, planqc and Munich
A plain English look at Germany's roughly 3 billion euro quantum action concept, the DLR program, planqc's neutral-atom work and the Euro-Q-Exa machine in Munich. - Quantum Venture Funding 2024 to 2026: Where the Money Came From
A plain English look at how much private money flowed into quantum companies, why totals differ by source, and what the big rounds tell us.
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