The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has inaugurated the Quantum Nanofabrication Area within the Clean Room at the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM), widely regarded as the largest research infrastructure of its kind in Spain.
The new facility will enable the manufacture and analysis of devices and circuits at the nanometre scale, advancing the development of quantum technologies and next-generation microelectronics.
Requiring an investment of more than six million euros, the facility is funded through the PERTE Chip initiative and the Complementary Plan for Quantum Communications, with backing from the European Next Generation EU funds.
The area is outfitted with cutting-edge instrumentation, including Spain’s most advanced electron-beam lithography system, alongside microscopes and metrology tools capable of inspecting structures at nanometre dimensions.
These systems will be made available to researchers and companies, supporting progress in the design, manufacturing, and prototyping of technologies with applications across quantum computing and communications, healthcare, energy, and security.
With this new infrastructure, CSIC aims to bolster Spain’s capabilities in semiconductors and quantum technologies, while facilitating the transition from academic research to industrial development.
The initiative also forms part of a broader strategy to solidify Spain’s position in the quantum field, which includes the establishment of the QuARC-CSIC Centre for Quantum Science and Technologies.
A New Centre to Unite Quantum Talent
The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), an body under the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, has announced the creation of the QuARC-CSIC Centre for Quantum Science and Technologies (Quantum Advanced Research Center). The new centre will bring together research groups from across CSIC institutes, with the goal of fostering world-class research, attracting top talent, opening new fields of inquiry, and strengthening collaboration with other groups both domestically and internationally.
CSIC president Eloísa del Pino unveiled the Quantum Science and Technologies Strategy, the long-term planning document that underpins the launch of the new centre. Del Pino highlighted that quantum science is advancing rapidly worldwide, with strategic investments by Europe, the United States, and China shaping an increasingly competitive landscape. For this reason, she argued that a new organisational model is needed to enable CSIC to execute a long-term strategy and reinforce Spain’s quantum ecosystem.
According to the president, QuARC-CSIC represents an opportunity to establish a stable, nationwide reference structure dedicated exclusively to quantum science, at a time when the institution is preparing for what she has described as the third quantum revolution — the shift from laboratory experimentation to the integration of these technologies into industry and society.
A Madrid Headquarters Bringing Together Physics, Computing, Mathematics, Engineering, and Chemistry
The new centre will consolidate CSIC’s existing strengths in quantum sciences, with research lines spanning physics, computing, mathematics, engineering, and chemistry. It will have a physical headquarters in Madrid, situated in the former facilities of the Cajal Institute, now part of the Cajal Neuroscience Centre.
The choice of this location reflects the concentration of leading quantum groups already held by CSIC in the Madrid region — 13 research groups across ten institutes — which will enable the unification of existing capabilities and create favourable conditions for interaction among researchers.
The centre will be further strengthened by the recruitment of new staff through selection processes already under way, with several positions reserved for this speciality. It will operate as a hub for research, training, and collaboration with other centres.