New talents in the field of quantum computing

On Tuesday , January 20, 2026, the first graduates of the Road to Practitioner course met at the CTU Rector's Office in Prague. Students from universities associated with the Quantum Innovation Center Prague consortium participated in the course.

The event was a symbolic celebration of the success of all course graduates and was primarily dedicated to the presentation of student projects.

And it clearly confirmed that not only is interest in quantum technologies growing in the academic environment, but also thatCzech universities are capable of creating a high-quality environment for their teaching and application.

What is Road to Practitioner?

Road to Practitioner (R2P) is a professional training program focused on practical mastery of the basics of quantum computing. Over the course of several months, participants learn the principles of quantum mechanics relevant to computing technologies, become familiar with quantum algorithms, and work with tools such as Qiskit. The course emphasizes practical experiments—students have the opportunity to work not only with simulators, but also with real quantum processors available through partner platforms. This gives them valuable experience that is increasingly in demand on the market today.

Further development of quantum activities in the Czech Republic

The meeting once again demonstrated that an increasingly broad spectrum of educational, research, and application activities is developing in the field of quantum technologies in the Czech Republic. Cooperation between universities within the consortium Quantum Innovation Center Czech Republic enables the sharing of know-how, coordination of teaching, and involvement of students in projects that have a direct impact on industry and applied research. Similar initiatives contribute to building a professional community that will be able to respond to the technological challenges associated with the advent of quantum and post-quantum technologies.

Doc. RNDr. Ing. Marcel Jiřina, Ph.D., expert guarantor of the QIC consortium, spoke on behalf of the Quantum Innovation Center (QIC) project during the event. Other speakers from the academic sphere included Mgr. Martin Friák, Ph.D from the Institute of Physics of Materials of the Czech Academy of Sciences, andAurél Gábris from the Department of Physics and member of the Quantum Dynamics, Optics and Information Group at the Faculty of Nuclear and Physical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague. The entire meeting was chaired by Fabio Scafirimuto, representative of IBM Research Zurich.

Presentation of student projects

The final part of the event belonged to the students themselves and was devoted to presentations of team projects.

The students presented a relatively wide range of topics – from the implementation of basic quantum algorithms and optimization tasks to experiments in the field of quantum machine learning. The projects showed that students are able to combine theoretical knowledge with practical design and testing of algorithms, and that they are capable of working with technologies that are gradually becoming part of the modern IT ecosystem. The presentations also opened up space for expert discussion on the possibilities for further development of individual solutions.

With the support of ITS

ITS has been monitoring developments in quantum and post-quantum technologies for a long time and supports activities that contribute to the development of professional competencies in this area. As a technology partner of the QIC project and thanks to our close cooperation with IBM and CTU, we couldn't miss this event. Educating future experts is particularly meaningful to us, and we are delighted to be participating in something like this.

From our perspective, we appreciate the very fact that students had the opportunity to present the results of their projects to a wider audience in this way—we also see this as valuable practical experience.

We look forward to the next steps, follow them with us!