Five days. One hall. An entire community in motion.
Hannover Messe 2026 marked a defining moment for quantum technologies in Germany, and Quantum Valley Lower Saxony was at the centre of it.
The week brought together policymakers, researchers, industry leaders and international delegations under one roof. We were honoured to welcome Falko Mohrs, Minister for Science and Culture of Lower Saxony, Grant Hendrik Tonne, Minister for Economic Affairs, Melanie Walter from the Lower Saxony State Chancellery, Angela Ittel, President of Technische Universität Braunschweig, Frank Härtig and Annette Röttger from PTB, representatives from VDI TZ, and the international trade press. Conversations at this level reflect something real: quantum technologies are no longer a horizon topic.
The QVLS Explore Quantum exhibition space was anchored by Phaeno, whose exhibits formed the heart of the floor. Alongside them, #clusters4future QVLS-iLabs, Quantum Frontiers, QIMP, TU Braunschweig, Leibniz University Hannover and QubeDot brought hands-on demonstrators to life. Visitors could also explore prototypes directly from QVLS startups CDO2, Agile Optic, QUDORA Technologies and QubeDot, and we were glad to welcome members Classiq and TÜV Nord for dedicated industry visits. Across the hall, SaxonQ, planqc, Munich Quantum Valley and Quantum BW each presented their own work independently.
On stage, Naz Pourmalek spoke on building an ecosystem where industry, research and partners create impact together. The Masterclass with Larissa Braun, Stephan Hannig from Agile Optic and Christian Brandel from hannoverimpulstackled the path from quantum research to industrial application. Nicholas Spethmann, Head of QTZ at PTB, addressed the growing importance of quantum security and encryption, one of the most pressing conversations in the field right now. Naz Pourmalek and Nicholas Spethmann also sat down together for a TV interview on the sidelines of the fair.
A special highlight of the week was the Quantum Future Women programme, joined by representatives from VDI TZ: presentations and activities for women, by women working in quantum. Moments like these remind us that building the quantum field means building it for everyone.
None of this would have been possible without the people who gave their time to stand at the booth and bring quantum science to life for hundreds of visitors. A heartfelt thank you to the quantum physicists who took precious time away from their research to be there with us: Sabine Möhlmann, Tim Meyer, Celeste Torkzaban, Franziska Greinert, Larissa Braun, Lena Bittermann, Jana Hartmann, Gayatri Sasidharan, Kai Bruns, Marlon Kuhn, Radhika Goyal, Erik Dunkel, Tobias Pootz, Lea Richtmann, Nica Schiffelholz, Christine Marachoris, Sam Ondracek, Kevin Rempel, Lars Krieger, David Stuhrmann, Najwa Al-Zaki, Florian Ungerechts, Markus Duwe, Axel Hoffmann and Yauheni. Scientific communication of this quality does not happen without people who genuinely care about sharing their work with the world.
To everyone who visited, presented, challenged, and connected: thank you. This is exactly what the QVLS ecosystem is built for.
See you next year. Hannover Messe, 5 to 9 April 2027.
