Another G-7 member launches national quantum strategy

The Canadian government says it is working to support the continued growth of quantum technology, an emerging industry, as it helps drive the Canadian economy and supports high-skilled, high-paying jobs.

On January 13, François-Philippe Champagne, Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced the launch of Canada's National Quantum Strategy, which will shape the future of quantum technology in Canada and help create thousands of jobs. Supported by a $360 million investment committed in Budget 2021, the strategy will expand Canada's existing global leadership in quantum research and develop Canada's quantum technologies, companies and talent.

Minister Champagne was joined at the launch by Dr. Raymond Laflamme, Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo and Canada Research Chair in Quantum Information, and Dr. Stephanie Simmons, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at Simon Fraser University and Canada Research Chair in Silicon Quantum Technologies. laflamme and Drs. Simmons will co-chair the new Quantum Advisory Committee, which will provide independent expert advice on the implementation of the strategy.

Three missions, three investments

The National Quantum Strategy is driven by three mandates in key quantum technology areas.

Computational hardware and software - to position Canada as a world leader in the continued development, deployment and use of these technologies

Communications - equipping Canada with a national secure quantum communications network and post-quantum cryptographic capabilities

Sensing - supporting Canadian developers and early adopters of new quantum sensing technologies

These tasks will be advanced through investments in three pillars.

Research - $141 million to support basic and applied research to enable new solutions and new innovations

Talent - $45 million to develop and retain quantum expertise and talent in Canada and to attract experts from Canada and around the world to build the quantum industry

Commercialization - $169 million to translate research into scalable commercial products and services

Collaborative federal quantum research to be developed

Efforts under this strategy are already underway. To strengthen Canada's research strength in quantum science and help develop a pipeline of talent to support the development of a strong quantum community, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is providing $137.9 million in investments through its Consortium Grants and Collaborative Research and Training Experiences (CREATE) grants.

Mitacs will provide $40 million to support the attraction, training, retention and deployment of highly qualified talent in quantum science and technology through innovative internship experiences and professional skills development.

The Quantum Research and Development Initiative (QRDI) is a new $9 million program coordinated and administered by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to develop collaborative federal quantum research and development.QRDI will bring together government and academic and industrial partners who provide expertise and infrastructure to work on advancing quantum technology under the three missions of the National Quantum Strategy. technology.

To help translate quantum science and research into commercial innovation that generates economic benefits and supports the adoption of Canadian-made solutions by businesses, the NRC will receive $50 million to expand the Internet of Things: Quantum Sensors Challenge Program and launch its Applied Quantum Computing Challenge Program. In addition, Canada's Global Innovation Cluster will receive $14 million for activities as part of the commercialization pillar.

In addition, the government's flagship strategic sourcing program, Canadian Innovation Solutions, will receive $35 million over seven years to help innovative Canadian SMEs grow, scale, develop intellectual property, export and create high-value jobs in the quantum sector.

The quantum sector is key to driving Canada's economy, long-term resilience and growth, especially as the technology matures and more industries take advantage of quantum capabilities. Jobs will cover research and science; hardware and software engineering and development, including data engineering; manufacturing; technical support; sales and marketing; and business operations. The government will continue to work with the Canadian quantum community to ensure the success not only of the National Quantum Strategy, but also of Canadian scientists and entrepreneurs who are able to take advantage of these opportunities.

Quick Overview of Key Points

According to a study commissioned by the NRC in 2020, it is estimated that the Canadian quantum industry will be a $139 billion industry (including all economic effects) and will create 209,200 jobs by 2045, once quantum technologies take hold.

Since 2012, the Canadian government has invested more than C$1 billion in the quantum sector. These foundational investments have helped Canada become a global leader in quantum science.

The National Quantum Strategy was developed following comprehensive public consultation through stakeholder roundtables and online surveys.

Some investments have already been announced through existing government programs, and other partners are preparing to launch quantum projects.

Innovative Solutions Canada has awarded four contracts worth a total of C$2.1 million to test the quantum technologies developed by Xanadu quantum Technologies Inc., CogniFrame Inc., Photon et al. Point Cryogenics Inc. to test quantum sensing, communication and computing solutions developed by Xanadu quantum Technologies Inc.

To date, NSERC has awarded 17 grants worth C$1.5 million over three years and expects to announce further results of its quantum program in the coming months, including the Alliance International Quantum Grant, the Alliance Quantum Grant, the Joint Alliance Quantum Grant and the CREATE Grant.

The NRC launched the Challenge Program to support collaborations with academia and industry to help drive commercial innovation and solidify Canada's position as a global leader in quantum technology.

The Internet of Things: Quantum Sensors Challenge Program is focused on developing revolutionary sensors that exploit the extreme sensitivity of quantum systems to improve measurement accuracy and sensitivity, and even expand the kinds of phenomena that can be measured.

The Applied Quantum Computing Challenge Program is working to build capacity for quantum algorithms and software and to establish collaborative R&D projects with academia and industry to effectively model complex physical systems to provide new technologies for human health, climate change, and advanced materials.

The Canadian and UK governments have jointly launched a call for proposals, open to Canadian and UK organizations that wish to form project consortia and undertake collaborative projects focused on developing innovative products, processes or technology-based services in the field of quantum technologies. The call was issued by the NRC's Industrial Research Assistance Program and Innovate UK.

Full report:

https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/national-quantum-strategy/sites/default/files/attachments/2022/NQS-SQN-eng.pdf

Reference link:

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/government-of-canada-launches-national-quantum-strategy-to-create-jobs-and-advance-quantum-technologies-869929816.html