The Eurecat research center has identified several key technological trends that will shape the business environment in 2026, analyzing their potential impact and evolution. **Agentic AI and Quantum Technologies** Joan Mas, scientific director of the Digital Area at Eurecat, predicts that agentic artificial intelligence will reach a stage of maturity in 2026, driving the development of the so-called "agentic web": an Internet where AI agents interact automatically and securely through new services, protocols, and APIs. This year, the first pilot tests and specifications are expected to pave the way for widespread adoption. At the same time, quantum computing will continue to advance, although the so-called "quantum advantage" is still far from being a reality for most sectors. However, pilot applications are anticipated in areas such as pharmaceuticals, finance, and logistics, using both real quantum hardware and emulators capable of handling dozens of qubits, allowing exploration of its computational potential. These advancements also pose challenges in cybersecurity, as quantum computing threatens to render current encryption systems obsolete. Therefore, Mas anticipates that 2026 will be crucial for the transition to post-quantum cryptography, following standards such as CNSA 2.0 (U.S.) and NIS2 (EU), with some organizations beginning to migrate their security systems to architectures resistant to quantum computing. **Physical AI** The convergence between AI and the physical world will be another prominent trend. According to Ricard Jiménez, scientific director of the Industrial Area at Eurecat, robotics and automation are evolving towards "physical artificial intelligence," where generative AI models, after exhausting Internet data, turn to the real world to continue learning. This AI, which perceives, reasons, and acts through robots, autonomous vehicles, or drones, will begin to be deployed especially in industrial environments, where the integration of advanced algorithms in robots will become increasingly common. **Flexible Electronics** Eurecat also highlights the rise of flexible electronics, driven by the demand for adaptable and lightweight solutions. Jiménez notes that flexible carbon-based chips will not replace silicon in high-computation tasks but will play a significant role in low-cost sensors and IoT devices. The industry demands circuits that can bend and stretch for applications in wearables, health, smart packaging, environmental monitoring, and RFID tags, where flexibility and sustainability are priorities. Materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes are particularly suitable for these uses. **Thermochemical Technologies** In the field of sustainability, Irene Jubany, scientific director of the Sustainability Area at Eurecat, emphasizes the importance of thermochemical technologies for the circular economy and decarbonization. Efficient waste management is a key challenge, and the pyrolysis and gasification of materials such as non-recyclable plastics or sewage sludge allow for the production of biofuels, biomaterials, and energy gases, contributing to a circular bioeconomy. Although these technologies are already applied in some countries, there are still technical and economic challenges, especially for complex waste. Solutions for pretreatment, process optimization, and new reactor designs are being developed to improve their viability. **Biotechnology** In biotechnology, Francesc Puiggròs, scientific director of the area, highlights the expansion of the alternative protein market, which, following the plant-based boom, incorporates sources such as microorganisms, insects, and revalued biomass, with environmental and nutritional benefits. The combination of AI, omics technologies, and advances in fermentation and extrusion will enable the development of safer and more scalable ingredients and foods, although regulation will be crucial for their market entry. In biomedicine, genomic sequencing is entering a phase of practical application, facilitating the diagnosis of rare diseases and the analysis of microbial DNA in critical situations. The trend is to advance towards platforms that integrate different types of biological data, supported by AI to improve diagnostic accuracy and research. Source: emprendedores.es