Quantum Technologies Strategic Imperatives for Health and Healthcare Leaders 2025

From financing and standards to infrastructure and workforce, a growing set of enablers is taking coordinated action to prepare the health ecosystem for quantum adoption. These efforts range from embedding secure frameworks and building testbeds, to funding new innovative projects and scaling networks. A number of initiatives are at the establishment stage, and select examples already demonstrate how enablers can reduce systemic risk, attract investment and create the conditions for start-ups and enterprises to scale quantum solutions in healthcare.4.2 Quantum value chain for enablers Mapping strategic actions across the enablers value chain TABLE 12 Value chain stage Strategic action Timeline Ecosystem benefits Financing and incentivesRun mission-driven quantum-for-health challenges (Wellcome Leap Q4Bio)Establish (0–2 years) –De-risking investment Co-fund continental secure network build-out with health in scope (EuroQCI, ESA-EC partnership)Institutionalize (7–10 years) –Risk reduction –Cost savings Standards and interoperabilityAdopt NIST post-quantum cryptography in health IT baselines (NIST CSRC)Establish (0–2 years) –Risk reduction Reference QKD evaluation standards in procurement/assuranceScale (3–6 years) –Risk reduction –Cost savings Cybersecurity and data governanceCreate hospital-to-hospital QKD links (Telefónica and Vithas)Establish (0–2 years) –Risk reduction Use OPENQKD healthcare testbeds to harden operations and report KPIs/performance. (OpenQKD)Scale (3–6 years) –Risk reduction –Cost savings Scale towards EuroQCI health-sector infrastructure for national networks. (Digital Strategy EU)Institutionalize (7–10 years) –Risk reduction Infrastructure provisioningProvide healthcare-grade quantum access via cloud/HPC (IBM Quantum Network, AWS Bracket, Azure Quantum)Establish (0–2 years) –Time savings –Cost savings Deploy on-site hospital testbeds (e.g. IBM Quantum System One at Cleveland Clinic under the 10-year Discovery Accelerator). (IBM and Cleveland Clinic)Establish (0–2 years) Integrate HPC and quantum in national supercomputers (EU HPCQS, LUMI-Q; coupling quantum systems to Tier-0 HPC). (EuroHPC)Scale (3–6 years) Pilot and testbed coordinationUse OPENQKD and partner sites to run healthcare pilots (medical data/EHR, imaging) and publish methods/metrics. (OpenQKD and ID Quantique)Scale (3–6 years) –Risk reduction –Cost savings Create joint provider–industry testbeds around secure data exchange and clinical pipelines (Telefónica)Establish (0–2 years) –Risk reduction Training and workforce developmentLaunch quantum-for-health talent pipelines (e.g. Cleveland Clinic –IBM Discovery Accelerator internships and education pillar). (Cleveland Clinic and IBM)Scale (3–6 years) –Increased talent pipeline Fund national QIST (Quantum Information Science and Technology) workforce programmes (NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes with explicit training mandate; QuBBE focus on bio/biophysics). (NSF – National Science Foundation)Scale (3–6 years) –Increased talent pipeline –De-risking investment Source: World Economic Forum and Accenture. Quantum Technologies: Strategic Imperatives for Health and Healthcare Leaders 24