Europe leads world in quantum research despite deep industry scepticism

Europe accounts for around 30 per cent of quantum publications among the world’s 15 leading research countries, yet nine-in-10 professionals believe the technology’s impact is still years away or may never arrive, according to a new international study

Europe has emerged as the global leader in quantum computing research despite widespread scepticism among businesses over when the technology will make a meaningful impact.

The EU, UK and Switzerland together account for around 30 per cent of quantum publications among the world’s 15 leading research countries, ahead of the U.S on 28 per cent and China on 18 per cent, according to the 2026 Digital Disruption Matrix from ESSEC Business School.

Europe also accounts for 28.6 per cent of quantum unicorns and their funding, giving the region a strong position in a technology that many business leaders remain unconvinced will affect them any time soon.

Nine-in-10 professionals surveyed expect quantum computing to have an impact only after another two years or more, or believe it will never affect their sector, while half expect either no impact or only a minor one.

The findings form part of ESSEC’s annual study of five emerging technologies across 10 industries. It combines a survey of 1,000 professionals in 41 countries with data on unicorns, emerging companies, funding and business creation, alongside scientific publications and patents published between 2020 and 2025.

The research, published today, also found near-universal expectations that generative and agentic artificial intelligence will affect business, with between 98 and 100 per cent of respondents across all ten industries expecting an impact.

Views differ more sharply over when that impact is being felt, with some 83 per cent of professionals in the media industry believing AI is already affecting their sector, compared with 45 per cent in materials.

AI unicorn activity is also heavily concentrated in the U.S, which accounts for 77.8 per cent of generative and agentic AI unicorns and 94 per cent of their funding.

The States also ranks first in academic research in the field, while 73 per cent of the 15 leading patent applicants are American.

Jérémy Beaufils, Executive Director of the ESSEC Digital Disruption Chair, said: “AI is no longer a matter of conviction. The advantage now lies in the ability to place it where it can truly create value. 

“The Matrix allows us to compare this issue, sector by sector, without conflating opinion, science, and capital.”

China is also emerging as a major force in robotics, accounting for 38.3 per cent of the world’s robotics unicorns and publishing nearly twice as much research in the field as the U.S. ESSEC says the close alignment between China’s research output and its share of robotics unicorns points to a deliberate strategy to turn scientific strength into commercial businesses.

Blockchain, meanwhile, is becoming increasingly tied to traditional finance. New company creation has fallen by 38.5 per cent in two years, while 72 per cent of blockchain businesses founded in 2025 were linked to financial services and major U.S banks are now among the leading patent holders.

French professionals were among the most sceptical respondents, with 22.1 per cent saying quantum computing would never affect their sector, compared with 14.1 per cent elsewhere. A similar gap emerged in robotics, although attitudes towards generative AI were broadly in line with those recorded internationally.

Professor Jan Ondrus, Chairholder of ESSEC’s Digital Disruption Chair, added: “The most useful signals often appear within contradictions: research that accelerates without conviction from the market, or a universal expectation in the face of a geographically concentrated supply. The Matrix makes these discrepancies visible.”

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