Kapsula Kuantikoa gets under way: the touring programme that will bring quantum science to 147 towns across Euskadi

Kapsula Kuantikoa began its tour of Euskadi today in Donostia, with the aim of bringing quantum physics and technologies closer to the public. Over the next nine months, the new touring programme of the Department of Science, Universities and Innovation will visit 147 towns across Euskadi with an immersive, interactive proposal that is accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds.

The opening ceremony, held at the Ibaeta campus, in the very heart of the “Quantum Mile”, was attended by the Minister of Science, Universities and Innovation, Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias; the Mayor of Donostia, Jon Insausti; the Deputy General of Gipuzkoa, Eider Mendoza; and the Director of Innovation, Maialen Agirre.

During the ceremony, Pérez Iglesias highlighted the importance of bringing scientific knowledge closer to the public, especially in disciplines such as quantum science and technology, given how remote they are from everyday experience. “Quantum science is, and will be even more so in the future, omnipresent in our lives, so it is very important that there be a certain familiarity with its most basic notions,” the Minister said. 

Along the same lines, he stated that “the scientific development of a society must be accompanied by a certain level of understanding of its most basic principles, as well as of its advances and technological possibilities”. He also praised the itinerant nature of the “Quantum Capsule”, as it makes it possible to bring scientific culture to places and social groups that are not usually reached by conventional outreach activities.

Quantum science: a scientific and technological reality in Euskadi

The project starts from an increasingly present reality: quantum physics is part of our daily lives far more than we imagine. It is behind technologies we use regularly, such as lasers and positioning systems, and it will also be key to some of the technological advances that may transform our lives in the coming years.

Euskadi has taken important steps in this field through the Basque Quantum strategy, which makes it possible to develop and strengthen scientific, technological and talent capabilities around quantum science and technologies. This commitment is also backed by a flagship infrastructure in Donostia: the IBM Quantum System Two, installed very close to the site where Kapsula Kuantikoa was presented today, and which is the first system of its kind operating in Europe.

Indeed, the proximity between this infrastructure and the starting point of Kapsula Kuantikoa symbolises one of the programme’s goals: to bring to the public a scientific and technological reality that is already part of Euskadi’s present.

A mobile unit to bring quantum science to the whole territory

Over the next nine months, the mobile unit will visit municipalities in Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia and Araba, bringing quantum science to people of all ages and very different backgrounds. Its proposal combines audiovisual resources, interactive installations and content adapted to different audiences, in order to discover, in a simple and engaging way, what quantum science is, how it has evolved and what possibilities it opens up for the future.

Inside, visitors will be able to explore some of the fundamental principles of quantum physics, learn about the milestones that have marked its development and discover applications that are already present in everyday life.

The experience will also give visitors a better understanding of what it means for Euskadi to have an infrastructure such as the IBM Quantum System Two, and allow them to explore the possibilities offered by quantum computing in fields such as scientific research, health, materials, energy and communications.

A proposal for all audiences

Kapsula Kuantikoa seeks to make science outreach accessible regardless of age, education or place of residence, and will pay special attention to the people and groups who face greater barriers to taking part in this kind of activity.

The experience can be enjoyed in two formats. On the one hand, group visits with advance booking will be organised, aimed especially at schools, youth and leisure associations, and organisations that work with groups with specific needs. On the other, the mobile unit will offer open-access sessions, so that anyone can drop by and discover quantum physics in a friendly, understandable and participatory way.

The Kapsula Kuantikoa tour begins in Donostia, where the mobile unit will travel to Sagües and remain open to the public on Saturday 3 October and on 6 and 7 October. The next stop will be Errenteria, followed by more than 50 other towns in Gipuzkoa, from municipalities such as Irun to smaller towns such as Berastegi. 

The mobile unit will arrive in Bilbao over the Christmas period and, from January, will continue its tour of Bizkaia. It will spend the final months of the journey in Araba: it will reach Vitoria-Gasteiz in mid-June, before the tour ends in Iruña Oka in the first week of July 2027.

The calendar, the towns the mobile unit will visit and all the information about the programme can be found in the science culture agenda Zientzia Klik (zientziaklik.euskadi.eus) and on its Instagram account, where the tour can also be followed with the hashtag #KapsulaKuantikoa.