Join Vardaan Sahgal for an inspiring talk on the expanding world of quantum computing in Latin America. Discover how universities, startups, and governments are driving growth in quantum technologies, from computing and sensing to communication, and what skills are most in demand. Vardaan will share insights from WISER and Womanium’s global quantum programs, which connect learners from 100+ countries with leading researchers and companies. Perfect for students and professionals eager to explore career paths and innovation opportunities in the region’s emerging quantum ecosystem.
Join Vardaan Sahgal for an inspiring talk on the expanding world of quantum computing in Latin America. Discover how universities, startups, and governments are driving growth in quantum technologies, from computing and sensing to communication, and what skills are most in demand. Vardaan will share insights from WISER and Womanium’s global quantum programs, which connect learners from 100+ countries with leading researchers and companies. Perfect for students and professionals eager to explore career paths and innovation opportunities in the region’s emerging quantum ecosystem.
Quantum computing is a rapidly advancing field with the potential to drive scientific, educational, and technological development. However, it faces a significant shortage of qualified experts, creating an urgent demand for skilled professionals. In Latin America, quantum education remains in its early stages, further widening the regional talent and access gap due to limited educational infrastructure and financial constraints. This work presents an initiative to integrate quantum computing into higher education in Latin America through the application of the European Competence Framework for Quantum Technologies, which offers a standardized approach to defining competency requirements and assessing essential skills in the field. We propose introductory courses aligned with the frameworks guidelines, designed to meet industry standards and reach a broad audience. Additionally, we introduce supplementary resources, including team dynamics and evaluation methodologies, to enhance the educational ecosystem. These initiatives aim to create a sustainable and comprehensive quantum education model across Latin America, to close the regional skills gap, foster inclusivity, and prepare a diverse workforce to contribute innovative solutions on the global stage.
As quantum computing advances toward practical implementation, the urgency to prepare our technological infrastructures and research ecosystems becomes critical. This presentation explores two interconnected dimensions of quantum readiness: protecting critical systems through post-quantum cryptography and building collaborative regional networks to accelerate quantum and AI research.The talk will introduce the synapsIA model—a successful regional network of AI experts connecting academia, industry, and government across Latin America—as a framework for fostering quantum computing and AI ecosystems in emerging regions. We will examine how collaborative, multidisciplinary networks can accelerate knowledge transfer, reduce technological dependency, and create sustainable pathways for quantum education and research in underrepresented regions.This session offers practical insights for students and researchers interested in: quantum technologies applications, cybersecurity in the quantum era, regional innovation ecosystems, and multidisciplinary collaboration strategies. Attendees will gain understanding of both technical solutions and organizational models that can be replicated in their own communities.Keywords: Post-quantum cryptography, Artificial Intelligence, Regional innovation networks, Quantum readiness, Critical infrastructures, Collaborative ecosystems
This work presents establishing a nationwide university network to address the relevance of quantum computing, where challenges and opportunities for industry and academia focus from undergraduate to doctoral levels. The network comprises a series of talks on opportunities in the quantum computing ecosystem and potential collaborations and development opportunities aimed at Latin American countries. A total of 240 Spanish speakers registered, with 30% identifying themselves as introductory level and 4% as experts in quantum computing. The outcome underscores the importance of creating opportunities across various domains of the quantum computing ecosystem for a country showing initial interest in this field. Additionally, the current work presents the educational levels of the participants, including their proficiency levels in quantum computing, their areas of interest within this field, and the topics and trends they consider relevant when engaging in quantum computing. The event was hosted by the Center for Computing Research of the National Polytechnic Institute (CIC-IPN) and organized by a consortium of institutions including CIC-IPN, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the Superior School of Computing (ESCOM), the Interdisciplinary Professional Unit in Engineering and Advanced Technologies (UPIITA), the Center of Studies in Advanced Computing of UNAM (CECAv), Institute of Advanced Materials for Sustainable Manufacturing of the Technological Institute of Monterrey, Benemérita Autonomous University of Puebla (BUAP), Tecmilenio University, Superior School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Unit (ESIME) Zacatenco, and Quantum Universal Education. The event was made possible through collaboration with industry partners such as IBM Quantum, Xanadu, Haiqu, Unitary Fund, qBraid, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Kipu Quantum, Pasqal, Quantinuum, Womanium, and BQB, each contributing their unique expertise and resources to the event.
The accelerating global development of quantum technologies strengthens the case for introducing quantum computing concepts before university. Yet in Latin America, there is no consolidated, region wide integration of quantum computing into secondary education, and the feasibility conditions for doing so remain largely unexamined. This paper proposes a qualitative, comparative framework to assess academic readiness for quantum education across six countries - Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia - grounded in the relationship between curriculum compatibility and enabling conditions spanning institutional capacity, teacher preparation, infrastructure, and equity. Using official curricula, policy documents, national statistics, and educational reports, we apply structured qualitative coding and a 1-5 ordinal scoring system to generate a cross country diagnosis. The findings reveal substantial regional asymmetries: among the six countries studied, Chile emerges as the most institutionally prepared for progressive quantum education integration, while the remaining countries exhibit varying combinations of curricular gaps and fragmented but promising enabling conditions. Building on this diagnosis, we propose a country sensitive, regionally coordinated roadmap for staged implementation, beginning with teacher development and pilot centers, leveraging open source platforms and local language resources, and scaling toward gradual curricular integration. This work establishes a baseline for future quantitative and mixed method studies evaluating learning outcomes, motivation, and scalable models for quantum education in Latin America.