It Takes a Quantum Villlage - WIQD Annual Symposium 2026
About this Event
It Takes a Quantum Village - WIQD Annual Symposium 2026
Bringing the quantum community together to build a more inclusive and connected ecosystem
The WIQD Annual Symposium 2026 is all about people.
This year’s theme, It Takes a Quantum Village, is a reminder that quantum isn’t just shaped by a few big names — it’s built by all of us.
At this year’s symposium, we’re celebrating our community — our quantum village — and creating space to connect, share experiences, and learn from one another.
Building on the energy of past editions (with over 100 participants!), we’re refreshing the format this year. Alongside interactive workshops and plenty of networking, we’re introducing something new: the WIQD Awards, recognising the people helping make the quantum ecosystem more inclusive and supportive.
What to expect
- Opening session – celebrating five years of our flagship event and our growing community
- Interactive workshops on storytelling, psychological safety & resilience and creative thinking
- WIQD Awards ceremony – celebrating inspiring people in our community
- Time to connect – meet others across academia, industry, policy and beyond
Why join?
🌍 Connect with people across the quantum ecosystem
💡 Learn something new in a hands-on workshop
🚀 Get inspired by people creating positive change
🏆 Celebrate the community through the WIQD Awards
❤️ Be part of a space where everyone feels welcome
Who is it for?
This event is for anyone interested in quantum and community — whether you’re a student, researcher, professional, or just curious to learn more. You don’t have to be an expert to join.
We encourage you to secure your tickets before May 25th. After this date, we cannot guarantee to take dietary requirements into consideration.
📆 June 9, 2026
⏰ 14:00–17:30 + borrel
📍 Bibliotheek Neude, Utrecht
Come join us in Utrecht and be part of our quantum village ✨
Agenda
🕑: 02:00 PM - 02:30 PM
Registration
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:00 PM
Welcome & 5 Years of WIQD Annual Symposium: Lookback
Host: Caiseal Beardow, Moderator
🕑: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Present Your Story: Storytelling workshop
Host: Ghazaleh Ghobadi
Info: We are all unique, each carrying many different stories. Our stories may be different, but when we share them and they cross paths, they connect us to one another. In this workshop, we will practice telling our stories to each other, writing them down, and visualizing them through forms and colours. In the end, we will witness how our diverse stories weave together into one colourful narrative.
🕑: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Speaking Up Under Pressure: Psychological Safety & Team Resilience
Host: Ania Hajdrowska
Info: The quantum ecosystem is one of rapid change and high uncertainty, and so it requires for people to be highly adaptable, to challenge ideas and raise concerns early. In this worskhop, you will learn how to actually ensure your voice is heard, even under circumstances of high pressure. You will walk a way with a clearer unerstanding of what behaviours can help build trust, communication and resilience at the workplace and the courage to be able to speak up.
🕑: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
From Wild Ideas to Quantum Futures: Practical Tools for Team Creativity
Host: Ydwine Zanstra
Info: Quantum invites and challenges us to imagine what doesn’t exist yet: new technologies, new possibilities, new futures. As technology pushes past the old limits, the real bottleneck becomes our imagination. In teams creativity often gets blocked by groupthink, perfectionism, and what creativity scientists call ‘premature closure’.
In this hands-on workshop, you’ll explore creativity as something concrete and measurable: ideas that are both novel and useful. We’ll unpack the difference between divergent thinking (generating many, unusual options) and convergent thinking (selecting and refining them), and why mixing the two too early kills good ideas.
🕑: 04:00 PM - 04:30 PM
Coffee Break & Networking Game
🕑: 04:30 PM - 05:15 PM
WIQD Awards Ceremony
🕑: 05:15 PM - 05:30 PM
Closing
🕑: 05:30 PM - 07:30 PM
Networking Drinks
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
EUR 0.00
