TPM Quantum Lab
The Quantum Lab at the Faculty of TPM has as its goal to bring the integrated systems, governance and values perspective of the TPM Faculty into the development of quantum technologies.
At the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management (TPM) research on quantum technologies has started in the beginning of the 2020s. With initially a focus on ethical, societal, risks and governance aspects (see Projects), soon after work on strategic management and market aspects was added. It is time that the Faculty broadly engages with these new technologies from an integrated systems, actor and value level. Quantum technologies include new forms of computing, communication, modelling and sensing, and are seen as system technologies that will affect the application of other technologies as well as society in general in a wide variety of aspects.
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TU Delft is leading in research in quantum computing and quantum communication with its QuTech institute and the Faculties of Applied Sciences and of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics & Computer Science. The Faculty of TPM can complement fundamental research at TU Delft. With its focus on exploring and tackling integrated sociotechnical issues TPM can contribute to embedding quantum technologies in society. TU Delft also takes a central role in the national Quantum Delta NL programme (see Box 2) aimed at creating an ecosystem for quantum technologies in the Netherlands. The Quantum Delta NL programme sees quantum technologies as sociotechnical systems, and includes industry, governance, education and society in this ecosystem. TPM is well-positioned to shape and strengthen this growing ecosystem. We are specialised in researching complex sociotechnical systems and can deliver key contributions to the market development of quantum technologies and to their embedding in the wider societal context. It can do so directly by research and more importantly through its education: TPM delivers the future engineers, managers and policymakers who will deal with, and have to function in, domains in which quantum technologies are to be employed.
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The Quantum Delta NL programme is shaped by societal goals and aims of addressing current societal challenges. It started with goals of bringing economic development, creating a “Quantum Valley” of high-tech innovation in the Netherlands, thus attracting jobs and companies. It envisages to contribute to the world’s efforts towards sustainability, circularity and health, by supporting the energy transition, bringing more efficiency with novel chemical processes and new materials, new medicine and vaccines, and advanced sensory and diagnostic tools.
Yet, like all new technologies, quantum technologies and the governance systems that are put in place to develop them, can also have positive and negative societal impact with potentially far-reaching and widely divergent implications. Furthermore, this impact can be perceived differently by distinct stakeholder groups resulting in many different claims about the risk and value of quantum technologies. Within TPM a system perspective is taken in which all these elements are researched. TPM can contribute to reflect on these ongoing technology and policy development processes as well as support research to study their impact. It can also help develop more
fundamental thinking on the governance of technology development processes, for instance, during the transition from experimental to more commercial phases of quantum technology development. TPM can contribute to research to identify the full breadth and width of societal issues that may be affected by quantum technology development. These issues include economic development and sustainability, but also societal cohesion, diversity, equality, accountability and inclusivity, since the growing research and development efforts and the commercialisation of applications will in turn lead to questions of societal and global accessibility.
The societal context is moreover wider and volatile. Additional initiatives advance further global embedding, as for instance the World Economic Forum that aims at exploring how quantum technologies can contribute to addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Changing international relations and geopolitical competition are eroding the openness of global markets and science research, and confront the development of quantum technologies with issues such as digital security, supply chain autonomy and national technological sovereignty.
The societal context can however also be conservative by resisting the adoption of new technologies, possibly even for good reasons. Existing technical and institutional infrastructures have created a large web of interconnected sociotechnical systems, in which applications of quantum technologies have to be integrated. The Faculty of TPM can study these developments to understand their implications, come up with design interventions for advancing quantum technologies in the desired directions, given the desired values, and reflect on the consequences of this integration. These can feed discussions on how and to what extent quantum technologies can or need to be governed so that they can develop in a meaningful societal way, since we – by our mission – have a strong tradition of analysing and modelling the structure and functioning of these complex sociotechnical systems, and of designing solutions to solve major societal challenges.
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One of the fascinating yet complex issues is how different quantum technologies evolve over time and what that means in terms of market formation. On a macro level, the evolution paths of different quantum technologies are intertwined, and all of them are influenced by a host of actors, factors and events. These actors, factors and events do no longer fit in a simple market context. Instead different playing fields with their own rules, affect what happens within markets. For example geopolitical changes, big-tech developments, societal opinion formation and political preferences in Europe all represent playing fields that impact market formation. On a micro-level, start-ups and existing companies struggle with how to navigate in such an environment.
TPM can lead in knowledge development and transfer, both on the macro and micro level. On the macro level, the evolution of related technologies can be tracked, the system of actors and factors driving this evolution can be assessed, and policy alternatives and suggestions for regulation designed. Knowledge of innovation and technology development trajectories can enable understanding and governing joint evolution paths involving quantum technologies. These insights can support the development of the strategic agenda of Quantum Delta NL. On the micro level, TPM researches strategies, business models and growth paths for individual companies. As a Faculty we can help shape the answers for a range of related questions, such as ‘How to formulate different applications for quantum technologies?’; ‘How to select the applications with the highest potential’, and ‘How to envision a range of subsequent applications?’. For example, currently a complete range of sensor technologies is developed within Quantum Delta NL, including possible use-cases. Yet, the formulation and selection of applications is not just an activity at the end of such scientific research. Instead, knowledge of the relative potential of applications should shape the order and focus of research on sensor technologies.
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New technologies like quantum technologies come with new possibilities, as well as new risks. Quantum computers for instance promise computational power that can be used to run complex
algorithms for studying genetic diseases. But this computational power can also to employed to break cryptographic encryption technologies used to secure digital information sharing in many sectors, including banking, government, defence, telecom and so on.
Current research led by TPM in the HAPKIDO consortium (see Projects) reveals the complexity of transitioning to a quantum safe society and the need for collective action. The preliminary HAPKIDO studies reveal that the impact of a poor governance can be devastating. In HAPKIDO instruments and tools for design and policy interventions are developed. Digital services in government, banking and telecom will not be secure anymore. Accordingly, maximizing the potential, while minimizing the risks requires a more fundamental perspective on the governance of the development of quantum technology.
One of the research directions is the collaborative governance of quantum technologies and transitions. The current approach of Quantum Delta NL is strong. However, there are some blind spots, including an internal focus and the lack of tech-governance alignment and scaling strategies on an ecosystem level. For responsibly embedding quantum technologies in society, we must go beyond top-down and bottom-up forms of governance. Ecosystem governance strategies are needed for building trust anchors. Different types of trust anchors are needed to guide public and private actors and generate the conditions to scale.
An important consideration is the geopolitical side of quantum technology development. It seems that the five (non-European) Big-Tech companies are winning the race to launching the quantum computer. The IBM quantum computer currently works with more than 433 qubits, while the TU Delft quantum computer uses less than 10. While the EU wants digital sovereignty, referring to a strategic independence from foreign continents, it remains unclear in what way quantum technology development will affect this ambition. We can expect all kinds of new EU initiatives (i.e., framework programs, regulations, taskforces and committees) focusing on quantum governance and sovereignty. TPM is well positioned to seize the opportunities for developing new research and educational programs, and act as a boundary spanner between technical research and policy makers, both vertically and horizontally (across the four layers of the Quantum Delta NL union model; see Box 2). Hence, TPM can drive research, education and valorisation that maximizes the potential of quantum technologies, while minimizing the risks.
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The Quantum Lab realizes this vision by creating an organization for:
- enlarging the number of TPM researchers who work on quantum technologies;
- supporting TPM researchers in research and education on quantum technologies;
- building up an integrated systems, governance and values knowledge base for quantum technologies.
Research and design for embedding quantum technologies in society
The vision of the TPM Quantum Lab
Projects
HAPKIDO
The HAPKIDO project stands for Hybrid Approach for quantum-safe Public Key Infrastructure Development for Organizations. The project is a five-year initiative that aims to deliver sector-based plans towards quantum-safe Public Key Infrastructures (QS PKIs), including hybrid PKIs that demonstrate how QS solutions will work with existing infrastructures, and governance models that guide organizations towards a QS future.
The project lays a foundation for creating a sense of urgency and stakeholder engagement by delivering Societal Impact Assessment methods for quantum computing and identifying appropriate IT-governance mechanisms for migrating towards QS PKIs. Moreover, a transition roadmap by means of a growth model and a self-assessment instrument will be developed to guide organizations to move toward QS PKIs. Quantum Lab at TPM presents opportunities to share knowledge and engage conversations with researchers who are working on different topics in quantum computing technology.
The Ethics of Quantum Technologies research team at the Philosophy section of the VTI department of TPM, TU Delft, does research along six lines:
- Stakeholders’ understanding and participation beyond the enigma of quantum phenomena in quantum technologie
- Exploration of the societal impact tools from design thinking, STS, and systems engineering
- Socialising quantum technology development meaning making in the early stages of quantum technology development
- Responsible Research and Innovation & Design for Values incorporating constraints by big tech, geopolitics and defence
- Quantum for good meanings of the good that are endorsed for quantum technologies
- Ecosystem analysis an ethics for quantum technologies within an ecosystems approach
The Ethics of Quantum Technologies research team is led by Pieter Vermaas part of the Action Line for Ethical, Legal and Societal Aspects (ELSA) of Quantum Delta NL, which is the national programme for developing quantum technologies in the Netherlands.
Media & Contact
Quantum is applied in various ways in TPM research and education. View an overview of our publications and courses here.
Team
Director
Pieter Vermaas
Pieter Vermaas, Director of the Quantum Lab at TPM, is leading the Ethics of Quantum Technologies research team at the Philosophy section of the VTI department of TPM, TU Delft.
In this research he combines his philosophy of technology work on design methods and design for values with his initial PhD research on the foundations of quantum mechanics.
In 2017 he published a first special issue that calls attention to the societal impact of quantum technologies: there is a need for non-physics scholarship to engage with these technologies, and for efforts to make quantum technologies understandable for non-physicists. For taking up these challenges Pieter Vermaas led two TU Delft vision teams on quantum technologies that explored the societal impact of quantum technologies. These TU Delft Quantum Vision Teams resulted in a magazine on quantum internet and one on quantum computing:
Recent work by Pieter Vermaas is a call for more innovative ethical and societal research analysis and governance of quantum technologies, work on democratization and a research paper for UNESCO:
- Quantum Technologies and Society: Towards a Different Spin
- Democratization of Quantum Technologies
- Quantum Technologies and Their Global Impact
The Ethics of Quantum Technologies research team is part of the Action Line for Ethical, Legal and Societal Aspects (ELSA) of Quantum Delta NL, which is the national programme for developing quantum technologies in the Netherlands. Pieter Vermaas co-shaped and co-leads this ELSA Action Line.
Management Team
Nitesh Bharosa
Nitesh Bharosa is Professor in GovTech and Public Service Innovation at the faculty of Technology, Policy and Management (TPM) of Delft University of Technology.
He is also member of the Management Team of the QuantumLab at TPM. His research together with Ini Kong, Lærke Christiansen and Marijn Janssen focuses on the governance of the transition towards quantum safe digital ecosystems. Focus areas include Digital Government, Banking and the Telecom sector that rely heavily on Public Key Cryptography, which is prone to future attacks with quantum computers. Part of this research is conducted in the NWO funded HAPKIDO program (Hybrid Approach for quantum-safe Public Key Infrastructure Development for Organisations) together with TNO, CWI, Logius, KPN, Microsoft and Zynyo. Nitesh is also the academic director of Digicampus – a quadruple helix innovation ecosystem for future public services.
Management Team
Roland Ortt
Members
Professor
Stefan Buijsman
Stefan Buijsman has a background in the philosophy of mathematics and philosophy of science and now works primarily on the responsible use of digital technologies.
His research focuses on epistemic aspects of these technologies, such as their explainability as well as other forms of information (e.g. about the design choices and reliability) that users may need to develop and use them responsibly. He is the managing director of the Delft Digital Ethics Centre and as such acts as liaison between that centre and the QuantumLab, to foster research connections on the responsible use of Quantum technologies.
PhD Candidate
Lærke Christiansen
My name is Lærke Vinther Christiansen and I am a part of the QuantumLab at TU Delft. In my daily work, I am a first-year PhD Candidate at TPM.
My PhD is a part of a larger research project called HAPKIDO which focuses on the different challenges there are in transitioning to quantum-safe(QS) hybrid public key infrastructure (PKI) systems, both from a technical and socio-technical perspective. My research focuses on technology governance and how we can facilitate collective action amongst stakeholders by using serious games as a tool to raise awareness for QS PKI.
Professor
Trijsje Franssen
Dr. Trijsje Franssen is Researcher and Assistant Professor in Ethics and Philosophy of Technology at TUDelft.
Simultaneously, she is working on a postdoc project at the Julia Cramer group, which is the Quantum & Society Lab of Leiden University. In this interdisciplinary lab she works together with physicists and other researchers to explore the impact of quantum technology on society from a science communication perspective. In her research, in which Prof. P. Vermaas is also involved, Franssen investigates the potential of art and creativity to foster a public discussion on quantum technology. With her expertise on this topic and her experience working at the Cramer group in Leiden, Franssen contributes to TUDelft’s QuantumLab by sharing her knowledge on both content and form of a Quantum and Society research group.
Professor
Nihit Goyal
Nihit Goyal is an assistant professor of policy innovation at the department of Multi-Actor Systems (MAS) in the faculty of Technology, Policy and Management (TPM).
His academic program focuses on understanding, explaining, and promoting policy innovation in complex sociotechnical systems in order to catalyse transitions to a more sustainable future. His work sheds light on policy innovation through: (i) an interdisciplinary approach synthesising research in policy studies with behavioural studies, international relations, and science & technology studies; (ii) the use of multiple –and mixed – methods spanning computational text analysis, econometrics, and qualitative techniques; and (iii) an application to novel cases with high policy relevance. He studies the policy process, policy design, and policy outcomes empirically, often in an international and comparative manner. His role in the QuantumLab is driven by an interest in understanding the relationship between technological disruption and policy innovation.
Links to publications
Professor
Marijn Janssen
Prof.dr.ir. Marijn Janssen is full professor in ICT & Governance. His research is focussed on ICT-architecting.
His research is focussed on ICT-architecting in situations in which multiple public and private organizations need to collaborate, in which ICT plays an enabling role, there are various ways to proceed, and socio-technical solutions are constrained by organizational realities and political wishes. ICT-architecting provides principles, patterns and other instruments to guide organizations to design their infrastructure, applications, information, processes and organizations. The landscape is fundamentally changing due to current technology developments like cloud-computing, Software as a Service, blockchain, semantic services, big and open linked data (BOLD) and policy developments like open data and open government. These developments challenge the traditional relationship between governments and the public and new forms of governance are emerging.
Professor
Geerten van de Kaa
Geerten van de Kaa is Associate Professor of Standardization and Business Strategy at Delft University of Technology, and Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Standardisation.
In the past years, he has worked on various EU and NWO funded research projects. His research has appeared in high-ranking international journals, including Organization Studies, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Technovation, and Technological Forecasting and Social Change. At TU Delft he teaches courses on strategic management, technology and strategy, and on ‘standards battles’. He holds a PhD from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.
PhD Candidate
Ini Kong
Ini Kong is a PhD candidate in the Department of Engineering Systems and Services at TPM, in the ICT section.
Under the supervision of Prof.dr.ir. Marijn Janssen and Prof.dr.ir Nitesh Bharosa, her PhD research focuses on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) systems that facilitate digital communication and information exchange. The aim of the research is to guide organizations transitioning toward Quantum-safe (QS) PKI systems and extend knowledge on the development of a stages-of-growth model for the QS transition. Her PhD research is part of a larger project called HAPKIDO (Hybrid Approach for quantum-safe Public Key Infrastructure Development for Organizations) funded by NWO (Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research). The project delivers sector-based plans towards QS PKIs, including hybrid PKIs that demonstrate how QS solutions will work with existing infrastructures, and governance models that guide organizations toward a QS future. Source: TNO
Martin Sand
Professor
Oscar Oviedo Trespalacios
PhD Candidate
María Palacios Barea
I am a PhD researcher at the TPM Faculty of TU Delft, as part of the Ethics of Quantum Technologies research team.
Under the supervision of dr. Clare Shelley-Egan and dr. Pieter Vermaas, and in collaboration with Quantum Delta NL, I am working on adapting ethics methodologies to the context of quantum technologies.
With a focus on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and Design for Values (DfV), my research interrogates how to best adapt these methodologies by considering the unique attributes of quantum technologies, notably in the spheres of corporate strategies and global geopolitics. My research aims to weave these distinct characteristics into a tailored ethical framework that accounts for quantum technologies’ intricate innovation tapestry.
Having experience in the fields of Media Studies, Digital Sociology, and Computer Science, my background is interdisciplinary, with a common thread of interest in evaluating and addressing the societal impact of emerging technologies through a socio-technical lens.
PhD Candidate
Thijs Latten
My name is Thijs Latten, and I am a PhD Candidate at TU Delft, part of the Ethics of Quantum Technologies research team, and a member of the TPM Quantum Lab.
My research focuses on the philosophy of quantum technology and is supervised by dr. Pieter Vermaas and dr. Martin Sand – in collaboration with Quantum Delta NL.
Currently, I am a first-year PhD Candidate. My research is located at the intersection of philosophy, physical theory, and technology. More specifically, I conduct a philosophical investigation concerning the understanding of the quantum world in quantum technologies, in an effort to better understand the philosophical implications of quantum mechanics. My research aims to aid the explainability of the technology, informing communication and education and enabling stakeholders to better engage with quantum technology.
Associate Professor
Clare Shelley-Egan
Clare Shelley-Egan is an Associate Professor in the Ethics of Quantum Technologies research group at TU Delft.
She is a researcher in ELSA (Ethical, Legal and Societal Aspects) in the Dutch quantum ecosystem Quantum Delta NL, within the Quantum and Society line of the Centre for Quantum and Society. Her main research interest is on the responsible societal embedding of quantum technologies and on advancing interdisciplinary collaborations between natural scientists, engineers and social scientists.
Shelley-Egan received her PhD in Science and Technology Studies (STS) in 2011 from the University of Twente. She obtained an MRes Science and Technology Studies at the University of Edinburgh (2006) and an MSc Science Communication at Dublin College University (2004). She has previously worked at the Technical University of Denmark as an Associate Professor in STS at the Department of Technology, Management and Economics. Before that she worked for a number of years as a Senior Researcher in Responsible Innovation at the Oslo Research Group on Responsible Innovation, Work Research Institute, Oslo Metropolitan University. During that time, she co-coordinated the RRI-Practice project (2018-2019) and was work package leader on several EU-funded and Research Council of Norway funded projects.
She was also a core partner in the team that acquired funding and support for the Research Council of Norway funded national AFINO Research Centre on Responsible Innovation. In her role as Research Analyst at Trilateral Research & Consulting, she was deputy coordinator of the EU-funded SATORI (Stakeholders Acting Together on the ethical impact assessment of Research and Innovation) project.
Other activities
- Incoming chair of TU Delft’s Human Research Ethics Committee (2024 – )
- Chair of the NWA (Nationale Wetenschapsagenda) Quantum & Society programme (2024 - )
- Member of the Responsible Digital Futures network (based at the University of Nottingham)
- Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Responsible Technology
Previous projects (selected)
- Principal Investigator (Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) work package) on ERA-Net funded ‘Improving aquaculture sustainability by modulating the feed-microbiome-host axis in Fish’ (ImprovAFish) project (2020-2023) & sister ImprovAFish project, also funded by the Research Council of Norway (2020-2024)
- Co-involved/led Oslo Metropolitan University acquisition of core funding for the Research Council of Norway funded AFINO Research Centre (2019-); former leader of WP4 (Building blocks for enhanced societal responsibility)
- Co-coordinator (2018 - 2019) and researcher on the H2020-funded RRI-Practice project (2016-2019)
- Researcher on the H2020-funded NMBP GoNano project (2017- 2020)
- Principal Investigator on the HCENAT (Naturalness in Human Cognitive Enhancement) project, funded by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2009-2014 and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Supports in the Czech Republic (2015-2017)
- Deputy coordinator and researcher on the FP7-funded Science-in-Society SATORI (Stakeholders Acting Together on the ethical impact assessment of Research and Innovation) project (2014-2015)
Expertise
Science & Technology Studies, ethics and governance of new and emerging science and technologies; applied ethics; Open Science; Responsible Research and Innovation; sociology of academia; public health ethics
PhD Candidate
Ferdinand Griesdoorn
I am a PhD researcher at the TPM Faculty of the TU Delft, as a part of the Ethics of Quantum Technologies research team.
Under the supervision of Dr Maarten Kroesen and Dr Pieter Vermaas. In collaboration with Quantum Delta NL, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Rijksacademie voor Digitalisering en Informatisering Overheid (RADIO), I am working on research based on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) with regard to the perspectives of policy officers on innovation with quantum technologies.
At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I am employed as a coordinating policy officer in the field of quantum technologies, aerospace, and digital innovation. Furthermore, I work with the European National Quantum Initiatives for the advancement of quantum technologies, and I work as an expert with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with regard to policies for quantum technologies.
I have an extensive experience in the field of digital technologies and innovation, my background is multilateral and interdisciplinary. I am quite accustomed to work dualistically, as a professional and as a student, I obtained my Master of Science in Finance and Control, Master of Business Administration and Master of Information Management while solving organizational challenges and working on programs related to digital infrastructure and/or digital systems. My ambition is to contribute to a responsible advancement of quantum technologies to better the human condition.
Researcher
Barbara van Veen
Dr. Barbara van Veen is a researcher at the TPM Faculty of the TU Delft, as a part of the Quantum Lab.
As a researcher with a background in the history of international policy relations and technology foresight, Dr. Barbara van Veen focuses on developing instruments to anticipate the development and diffusion of strategic technologies under high uncertainty. Her work adopts a systems view, exploring the tension between individual rational decisions and the unintended collective outcomes in innovation systems – a phenomenon known as system drift. Key projects include the development of an anticipatory instrument for quantum encryption and computing and a causal loop diagram of the European quantum ecosystem, both applied by QuTech. These tools aid policymakers in navigating the high-risk, high-stakes landscape of emerging technologies.
Publications
- Coenen, C., Grinbaum, A., Grunwald, A., Milburn, C., & Vermaas, P. (2022). Quantum Technologies and Society: Towards a Different Spin. NanoEthics, 16(1), 1–6.
- Kong, I., Janssen, M., & Bharosa, N. (2022). Challenges in the Transition towards a Quantum-safe Government. DG.O 2022: The 23rd Annual International Conference On Digital Government Research.
- Van Heesch, M., and P. Vermaas (2022). Hoe kan Nederland ten volle profiteren van de toekomstige quantumcomputers? iBestuur nieuwsbrief, 3 februari 2022.
- Vermaas, P.E., D. Nas, L. Vandersypen, D. Elkouss Coronas (2019). Quantum Internet: The Internet’s Next Big Step (Delft: TU Delft)
- Vermaas, P.E., M. Wimmer, D. Lomas, C.G. Almudever and G. Scappucci (2022). Quantum Computing: From Hardware to Society (Delft: TU Delft)
- Vermaas, P. E. (2017). The societal impact of the emerging quantum technologies: a renewed urgency to make quantum theory understandable. Ethics and Information Technology, 19(4), 241–246.
- Vermaas, P. E. (2005). Technology and the Conditions on Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 56(4), 635–661.
- Seskir, Z.C., Umbrello, S., Coenen, C., & Vermaas, P.E. (2022). Democratization of Quantum Technologies.