From March 15 to 20, 2026, the Centro de Ciencias de Benasque Pedro Pascual hosted the second edition of the Spring School on Near-Term Quantum Computing. Building on the success of its first edition in 2024, the event brought together 60 participants — students, early-career researchers, and 10 internationally renowned speakers — to share knowledge and explore the latest developments in quantum technologies.
The school took place in a key year for the field: 2026 marks a decade since IBM opened public cloud access to its quantum computing devices, a milestone that transformed global research by allowing scientists to experiment directly with real quantum hardware. Yet, despite considerable progress over the past ten years, a gap still remains between the potential of future quantum computers and the performance of current devices.
Against this backdrop, the Spring School aimed to train the next generation of quantum researchers, offering participants an updated overview of the field and practical tools to make the most of today’s near-term quantum technologies. The programme combined lectures, seminars, and hands-on sessions covering theoretical, experimental, and software development aspects of quantum computing.
One of the highlights of the event was the Quantum Hackathon, where participants worked in teams to apply the methods learned during the sessions and develop projects for near-term quantum devices — promoting collaboration and innovation.
For the hackathon and practical sessions, attendees had access to quantum computing infrastructures provided by several international institutions, including the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), Scayle, CESGA, and Quantum Inspire. These resources enabled participants to run experiments on both real quantum devices and simulators, bridging theory with practice.
Once again, the Benasque Valley became a meeting point for the international scientific community, fostering collaboration, the exchange of ideas, and the development of future initiatives in the rapidly evolving field of quantum technologies.
Acknowledgements
Organizers
- A. Cervera-Lierta (Barcelona Supercomputing Center)
- A. Pérez-Salinas (ETH Zürich)
- A. Pozas-Kerstjens (Université de Genève)
- J. Argüello-Luengo (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya)
Partners
RITCE-Quantum Information Network in Spain
Recursos de Computación Cuántica:
