Australia's premier global quantum conference
Quantum Australia
Conference 2026
Adelaide, South Australia
Quantum for Impact: Unlocking Productivity
28 – 30 April, 2026
Adelaide Convention Centre
About the Conference
Building on the 2025 theme The Translation of Quantum, the 2026 Conference showcases how quantum is already delivering measurable productivity and efficiency gains, unlocking economic growth, strengthening sovereign capability, and creating investable opportunities across critical sectors.
The Quantum Australia Conference 2026 unites global quantum leaders, industry decision-makers, researchers, and investors to tackle the most pressing challenges across critical sectors. From healthcare and defence to energy, mining, and finance, attendees will see how quantum is already creating measurable productivity gains, opening new commercial opportunities, and delivering economic returns.
With developers and end-users sharing the stage, the program offers an unparalleled look at both the technology and its application. This is where partnerships form, strategies take shape, and ideas move from the lab to the marketplace, ensuring Australia’s quantum edge translates into industry growth and national prosperity.
What’s On
Wednesday 29th April
Thursday 30th April
IBM Quantum Safe Executive Workshop
IBM and Quantum Australia are pleased to invite C-Suite Executives to an exclusive workshop designed to help business leaders chart a confident, practical path into the quantum era while safeguarding their enterprises, their data, and their clients.
Join us for a strategic discussion on building quantum-safe resilience, before the quantum shift becomes a business‑critical issue. Share challenges, compare strategies, and uncover common hurdles.
Scaling Securely: Navigating Export Controls, Partnerships and Global Growth
This session is designed to help quantum companies and researchers scale with confidence. It provides a practical overview of how you can navigate regulatory and policy settings while continuing to collaborate internationally, attract investment and commercialise your technologies.
Bringing together perspectives from government and industry, the discussion will focus on early awareness, governance and proactive engagement as enablers, not barriers, to global growth.
Building Trust in Quantum: The Role of Standards
As quantum technologies move from research labs to real-world application, standards are becoming a strategic enabler of growth, interoperability and global competitiveness.
This session will introduce the role of standards in the quantum landscape and feature practical insights into how engagement can influence innovation pathways, market readiness and long-term impact.
The Voices Shaping Quantum | QAC Speakers
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Bill Bartee
Main Sequence |
Co-founder & Managing Partner -
Prof Geoff Pryde
PsiQuantum | Chief Technical Director
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Prof Michelle Simmons
Silicon Quantum Computing | Founder & CEO
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Henning Soller
McKinsey & Company | Partner - Quantum Technologies
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Vikram Sharma
Quintessence Labs | CEO & Founder
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Dr Cathy Foley
Australia’s 9th Chief Scientist
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Flavia Tata Nardini
Fleet Space Technologies | Co-founder & CEO
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Dr. Philip Intallura
HSBC | Group Head of Quantum Technologies
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Prof Stephen Bartlett
University of Sydney | Director of Sydney Nano
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Dr Larry Marshall
Fortescue | Lead Independent Director
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Petra Andrén
Quantum Australia | CEO
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Petra Florizoone
IBM | Global Quantum Sales Director
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Hon. Simon Birmingham
Australian Banking Association | CEO
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Dr Pranav Gokhale
Infleqtion | CTO
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Dr Jim Rabeau
Deteqt | CEO & Co-Founder
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Nima Leclerc
MITRE | Head of the Adaptive Quantum Sensing Program
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Kyle Hardman
Nomad Atomics | CEO & Co-founder
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Dr. Neil Abroug
INRIA | Head of the Quantum Program
Activations
Careers Fair: Explore real pathways into Australia’s quantum workforce.
The Careers Fair 2026, delivered in partnership with Sydney Quantum Academy, is designed for university students who want to understand what a career in quantum actually looks like, and how to get there.
This session connects undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students directly with quantum researchers, startups, employers, universities and industry partners. It’s a practical, opportunity-focused event that cuts through the hype to answer the questions that matter: who’s hiring, what roles exist, and what skills and pathways lead into the quantum sector.
Whether you’re exploring internships, graduate roles, research careers or industry pathways, the Careers Fair is where conversations turn into concrete next steps.
Wednesday, 29 April 2026
4:00 – 5:30 p.m
Adelaide Convention Centre
Career Testimonials
Employer Showcase: Quantum 2045: Jobs, Skills and Training
Open Day: Discover what quantum is, why it matters, and where it could take you.
Open Day, delivered in partnership with Sydney Quantum Academy, is an inspiring introduction to quantum for high school students and educators curious about the future of technology and careers in STEM.
Designed to spark curiosity rather than require technical knowledge, the Open Day showcases what quantum is, why it matters, and the wide range of technical and non-technical careers that support this rapidly growing sector , from science and engineering through to policy, business, communications and beyond.
You don’t need to be a quantum expert to attend. If you’re curious about how science shapes the future, interested in emerging careers, or exploring what’s possible after school, this is where curiosity starts, and pathways begin.
What Is Quantum, Really?
Translating a Strange and Powerful Field for Industry, Policy and the Public.
Researchers know the feeling: someone asks, “So… what is quantum?”, and suddenly the answer feels impossibly complicated. Are they asking for the physics? The applications? The economic impact? The jobs?
The panel will unpack how to explain quantum clearly, confidently and contextually, without losing accuracy or impact. Through a live-style exchange between a researcher and a journalist or communications lead, our speakers will demonstrate how to navigate the question in real time. When do you simplify? When do you zoom out to industry applications? When do you focus on national capability, productivity and workforce?
Designed for researchers learning to communicate beyond the lab, policymakers seeking clarity, industry leaders assessing what quantum means for them, and media shaping the public narrative, this session will equip you with practical tools to articulate quantum’s value, no matter who is asking.
Australia’s Next Wave of Quantum
Quantum Solutions to Australia’s Most Significant National Challenges
This showcase brings together 18 projects funded through the Australian Government’s Critical Technologies Challenge Program.
Hear directly from industry trailblazers working alongside quantum companies and research organisations to tackle Australia’s most pressing, market-led challenges, including:
• Minerals exploration, extraction and processing
• The performance, sustainability and security of energy networks
• Improved diagnosis and treatment of disease
• Better health outcomes for First Nations peoples
Delivered in a fast-paced, rapid-fire format, this session offers a snapshot of the real impact quantum technologies are already having across Australia, and where they’re headed next.
The Next Wave of
Quantum Startups
This showcase session highlights six new quantum startups emerging from the Quantum Australia NewQ program, Australia’s national pre-accelerator for early-stage quantum ventures.
Spanning quantum computing, sensing, communications and enabling technologies, each company will present their journey from research insight to commercial opportunity, outlining the problem they are tackling, the approach they are taking, and where they are headed next.
This session offers a fast-paced snapshot of the next wave of quantum innovation, and the founders translating deep science into market-ready solutions.
Your place in the ecosystem
Government &
Policy Makers
Advance national capability and productivity through quantum.
Universities & Researchers
Translate research into industry and government outcomes.
Investors
Source credible deal flow and emerging growth opportunities.
Quantum Industry
Accelerate commercial pathways and industry adoption.
Industry & End-Users
Identify practical quantum solutions for operational advantage.
International Delegates
Build partnerships within Australia’s quantum ecosystem.
Our Sponsors
Diamond Sponsors
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Poster Area Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Lanyard Sponsor
Adelaide, South Australia, is a growing hub for defence, space, and advanced manufacturing, industries where quantum delivers measurable advantage.With the Australian Space Agency headquartered in Adelaide and significant investment in defence innovation, the state is a natural host for showcasing quantum’s role in sovereign capability, economic productivity, and commercial impact.Location
Adelaide Convention Centre
North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia
