QUASAR

Who gets a say in the quantum future? New global alliance launches to study the societal side of quantum technologies

QUASAR brings together research centres and scholars from four continents working on the ethics, law and politics of quantum technologies

Saarbrücken, 1 October 2026 – Quantum computers may one day break the encryption that protects bank data, health records and state secrets. They may also revolutionize sectors from healthcare to financial markets. Who will have access to these technologies? Who sets the standards? And can we ensure that we do a better job with governance than with social media and AI? 

On 1 October 2026, QUASAR – the Quantum and Society Alliance for Research – officially launches as the first global alliance of research institutions dedicated to the ethical, legal, social and political dimensions of quantum technologies. Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Linardatos, Professor of Law at Saarland University, Germany, joins QUASAR as an individual member

A young field goes global

Since 2019, the debate on the societal impact of quantum technologies has grown from a niche concern into a research field in its own right. QUASAR starts with 35 research centres from 16 countries five continents and 68 individual researchers. 

What QUASAR will do

The alliance will make researchers in the field more visible, support comparative research and joint publications across legal systems and research traditions, and coordinate joint funding applications. Members will share teaching experience in quantum ethics and support early-career researchers. The first Quantum and Society Research Symposium is set for 2027.

At the heart of QUASAR's website is an atlas mapping centres, labs and programmes working on quantum technology and society worldwide, alongside a shared repository of key documents, reports and literature.

"With social media and AI, we only started talking about rules once market power was concentrated and the social effects were already being felt," says Prof. Matthias C. Kettemann of Innsbruck’s Quantum Ethics Lab in Austria, convener of QUASAR, “with quantum technologies, we have the chance to get ahead of the wave, but only if research on the societal impact is as well connected as research on the technology itself.” 

Quantum technologies are not merely a technological challenge but also a regulatory one. As their applications expand into financial markets, cybersecurity and other critical sectors, we need to address questions of accountability, market access and technological sovereignty at an early stage. QUASAR provides an important platform for bringing together legal, technological and societal perspectives to help shape a coherent and forward-looking governance framework

The alliance's rotating secretariat for the 2026-27 founding phase is hosted by IQEL, Innsbruck Quantum Ethics Lab, at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, the former scientific home of Nobel Prize Winner and renowned quantum physicist Anton Zeilinger.

Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Linardatos is a Professor of Law at Saarland University, Germany. His research focuses on European economic and financial market law, digital regulation and the legal implications of emerging technologies. He is currently serving as a Seconded National Expert (SNE) at the European Commission, contributing to the preparation of the Commission's legislative proposal for a European Quantum Act.