QuBriC: Europe's €4.6 Million Doctoral Network Training the Next Generation of Quantum Error Correction Experts

Quantum error correction (QEC) is widely considered the critical bottleneck on the path to useful quantum computers. Without it, qubits are too noisy to run algorithms of practical scale. But training researchers who understand the full QEC stack — from abstract coding theory to real hardware noise — has been fragmented across disciplines and institutions.

Enter QuBriC (Bridging Quantum and Classical Error Correction for Scalable Fault-tolerant Quantum Computing), Europe's first Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network dedicated entirely to quantum error correction. Backed by approximately €4.6 million (≈€4.7 million total EU contribution) from Horizon Europe, the 48-month initiative will train 15 doctoral candidates across 16 universities and 7 quantum computing companies, coordinated by Dr. Gabriele Liga at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) .

The network officially starts on 1 October 2026 and brings together 23 partners across 11 countries .

What QuBriC aims to do

QuBriC is structured around three core objectives:

Bridge classical and quantum error correction. QEC today is fragmented across different disciplines. QuBriC unifies classical coding theory and quantum information science into a single framework covering theory, code design, decoding, hardware integration, and experimental validation .

Operate across all major qubit platforms. Rather than optimizing for one hardware type, the network enables systematic comparison and knowledge transfer across superconducting, photonic, neutral-atom, cat-qubit, and other qubit modalities .

Close the industry-academia skills gap. By embedding doctoral candidates in both academic labs and quantum companies, the programme produces researchers who understand the full QEC stack — from abstract codes to real hardware noise .

Consortium and industry partners

The scale of the consortium is notable: 16 leading universities and 7 quantum computing companies across Europe.

Role	Examples
16 leading universities	TU/e (coordinator), KIT, ETH Zürich, TU Delft, UCL, Chalmers, INRIA, Sorbonne Université, LMU Munich, University of Edinburgh, Politecnico di Milano, and others
7 quantum companies	Alice & Bob, Riverlane, IQM, Quantinuum, Pasqal, QuiX Quantum, Quandela

Alice & Bob's specific contribution

Cat-qubit hardware developer Alice & Bob brings its autonomous cat-qubit architecture into the network . Cat qubits offer a hardware-efficient path to QEC because they inherently suppress bit-flip errors, which simplifies the error-correction code design. This makes the cat-qubit platform a key testbed for the cross-platform approach QuBriC pursues .

Other industry partners bring complementary strengths: Riverlane specializes in QEC decoding hardware, IQM builds superconducting quantum processors, Quantinuum develops trapped-ion systems, Pasqal works on neutral-atom arrays, QuiX Quantum focuses on photonic quantum computing, and Quandela is advancing photonic qubits .

Structure and timeline

• Funding: ~€4.6 million (€4.7 million) from Horizon Europe MSCA, covering 48 months starting 1 October 2026 .
• Training model: Each doctoral candidate has a 48-month appointment, with mandatory secondments at partner institutions and industrial placements, ensuring exposure to both theoretical and experimental QEC work .
• Recruitment: The network is now hiring for 15 PhD positions across the participating institutions .

Why this matters

Quantum error correction is not just a subfield of quantum computing — it is the enabling technology that will make quantum computers reliable and scalable . Currently, the field suffers from a skills gap: classical coding theorists, quantum information scientists, and hardware engineers often work in isolation. QuBriC's explicit goal is to train a generation of researchers fluent across all layers of the QEC stack, from mathematical code design to the noise characteristics of real qubits .

In short, QuBriC is a coordinated, pan-European effort to produce 15 PhD researchers who can tackle the full QEC stack — from coding theory to hardware-aware decoding — by combining 16 top academic groups with seven industry leaders, including cat-qubit pioneer Alice & Bob.