Welcome readers,
In this edition, we discuss an important development from San Sebastián, where October saw the installation of Europe’s first IBM Quantum System Two. The milestone is significant for the Basque Country’s life sciences ecosystem and its growing alignment with advanced computation. You’ll find the full story below.
We also return to our two-part look at the future of laboratory space — exploring how life sciences facilities are reshaping both cities and buildings. Last week, Madrid-based Miguel Avanzini examined the rise of the “urban lab” in London, Barcelona and Paris.
This week, Dubai-based Emily Urban moves from the city to the building, showing how even challenging office layouts can be adapted for lab use, from tight ceiling voids to high-rise plant requirements.
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Quantum leap for San Sebastián
San Sebastián has just stepped onto the European technology stage in a new way: the Basque city is now home to Europe’s first IBM Quantum System Two. For a region known for its dense network of research centres and fast-growing life sciences companies, the arrival of a utility-scale quantum computer is more than a scientific milestone—it is a strategic signal. It marks the Basque Country’s intention to link its bio-innovation economy with frontier computational power at a moment when advanced therapies, diagnostics, and precision medicine are becoming increasingly data- and model-intensive.
The IBM Quantum System Two installed in the new Ikerbasque building on the foundation’s main campus anchors the IBM–Euskadi Quantum Computational Center in Donostia / San Sebastián, as part of the BasQ – Basque Quantum initiative. The system gives Basque and international researchers direct access to one of the most powerful quantum computers currently available, supporting advanced algorithm development and applications in strategic fields such as biomedicine and artificial intelligence. Quantum approaches to simulation, modelling, and optimisation are expected to play a growing role in scientific research and, over time, in how new therapies are discovered and scaled.
This development comes just as Sokai Hub Gipuzkoa is rising in Illunbe within the expanding Basque Technology Park. Backed by Columbus Venture Partners—led by Viralgen founder Javier García Cogorro—and Quercus Investments, Sokai Hub will deliver roughly 37,000 sq m of laboratories, GMP suites, offices, coworking space and temporary accommodation. Built for the specialised needs of gene therapy, bioprocessing and translational research, it strengthens a local ecosystem that already includes Viralgen, Vivebiotech, CIC biomaGUNE and the Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute.
The physical proximity between Europe’s first Quantum System Two and a new, purpose-built life sciences campus creates a rare environment where industrial bioscience and frontier computation can evolve together. Companies at Sokai Hub will be able to bring applied problems—bioprocess optimisation, biomaterials discovery, AI-driven diagnostics—directly to the quantum research teams shaping next-generation algorithms.
As Pelayo Muñoz of Quercus Investment puts it:
The arrival of the IBM Quantum System Two further consolidates San Sebastián’s position as an exceptional scientific ecosystem. At SOKAI Hubs, our real-estate investment and asset-management platform dedicated to the life sciences sector, we are developing infrastructure that enables companies to translate research into industrial capability. The close proximity between the new quantum computing centre and SOKAI Hub Gipuzkoa creates a unique environment in which frontier computational power can be integrated with advanced therapies, bioprocessing and GMP manufacturing. This convergence of strengths places the Basque Country in an excellent position to lead the next generation of biomedical innovation in Europe.
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That's it for now. Our next edition, including our signature deal tracker, will arrive on 11 December 2025.