Support and coordination of the Quantum Technologies Flagship Initiative (CSA)

Topic description

ExpectedOutcome:

Proposal results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

Coordination of the Quantum Technologies Flagship

• support the efficient functioning of the Quantum Technologies Flagship and the efficient implementation of the broader EU quantum strategy, and promote the Flagship's activities to a wide public
• enable Flagship projects to find synergies in their work and share best practice
• publish a European research and industry community roadmap that provide the route from research to industrial exploitation
• foster a European quantum community and provide a forum for productive discussions on Research and Innovation strategies
• transfer Europe’s research and innovation results into practical and high-value applications for the benefit of society.

Standardisation

• contribute to the development of international standards and regulations in quantum technologies and quantum applications, ensuring that Europe plays a leading role in global quantum standardisation initiatives.

Education and training

• Define a European core curriculum for quantum technologies to prepare postsecondary students for the challenges arising in quantum industry and academic research.
• Facilitate access to services and training offered to interested postsecondary students, workforce and other potential users (from industry, academia or public sector)
• Addressing the skills gap in quantum technologies-related domains by specialised training to develop the human capital resources to address increased skills need in industry (including SMEs).
• Create training programme curricula in close cooperation with industry for the quantum workforce according to the specific skills required by the quantum and end user industry.
• Implement innovative research-based curricula in quantum technologies for the university and secondary school education levels in all European countries.

Coordination of the Quantum Technologies Flagship

Proposals should ensure the smooth running and further development of the Flagship, support the implementation of the overall EU strategy in quantum technologies, including governance, raise the profile of the Flagship's activities and of quantum technologies in general, and update the European Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda, in particular by working on the following: support the operation of the Flagship’s governance structure; conduct a community based process for preparing a Research and Innovation investment Roadmap and priorities by involving research and industry stakeholders, undertake wide dissemination of the Quantum Flagship results; organise outreach events and engage in structured discussions with the general public, including on the social implications and ethics of quantum technology development and innovation, particularly with regard to privacy and security, public trust and acceptance; provide research dissemination services to projects; identify relevant training, education and infrastructure needs.

This structured dialogue with the general public will take the form of engagement via all meaningful platforms including social media, and the results may be compared with those of international cooperation partners of the Flagship (e.g. Canada), and shared on the basis of mutual exchange. Proposals should also encourage the Flagship’s projects to find synergies in their activities, contribute to the overall EU strategy in the field (e.g. EuroQCI, EuroHPC), and share best practice, and to foster the growth of a European quantum community that links all academic and industry stakeholders, including by contributing to the coordination of activities between European, national and regional programmes and projects.

Proposals should include concrete activities to coordinate and streamline European industrial efforts in quantum technology to help unlock research from laboratories and forge a supply chain in Europe. Proposals should feature a plan enabling the translation of academic research in all Flagship pillars (quantum computing, quantum simulation, quantum communications, and quantum sensing and metrology) into practical quantum technology and applications.

Finally, proposals should work on establishing dialogue with other international programmes in quantum technologies and in promoting international cooperation activities. In particular, they should be supporting collaborative discussions between the main international players, including countries such as the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, and the EU, exploiting complementary strengths and challenges in collaborative research that ensures a clear win-win situation for both parties and ongoing leadership on the global stage.

Proposals should involve and be driven by representatives of the relevant actors in the field (e.g. academia, RTOs, and industry, including SMEs).

All proposals should contribute to spreading excellence across Europe; for example, through the involvement of Widening Countries.

Standardisation

Proposals should address concrete standardisation activities in European and international standardisation fora where quantum technologies will play a major role in the near future and where standardisation can enhance existing capabilities and offer a competitive advantage to Europe. Examples are: quantum computing and quantum-enabled security such as QKD, QRNG, quantum sensing and metrology, including quantum enhanced medical imaging devices, quantum gravity sensing devices, quantum timing devices, etc.

For this, proposals should develop an active presence and leadership in the coordination and development of international standards and regulations in quantum technologies either in existing standardisation activities and bodies and where relevant, by contributing to creating new standardisation activities in existing groups and/or creation of new groups.

Proposals should bring together all the relevant stakeholders in the whole quantum technology standardisation value chain – research, standardisation and the industry sectors, and if relevant, public administrations/institutions. They should describe which players they will mobilise and how they will efficiently coordinate them at European level to achieve impactful results promoting the European interests in standardisation. Links to metrology aspects should also be included, wherever relevant.

Education and training

Proposals should perform an extensive mapping of current and future requirements for education and training; define standards for implementing appropriate educational strategies; host existing and newly developed teaching materials and resources within a repository; develop strategies for scaling up advanced quantum technology training programmes across Europe; and establish a network between science, civil society, and industry to exchange ideas, needs, and human resources (e.g. in the form of student internships). In doing so, they should work in close cooperation with the Flagship project actors.

Proposals should also address the coordination of the education activities and strategies they would work upon with the relevant national actors.

Proposals should involve and be driven by representatives of the relevant actors of the field (e.g., academia, RTOs, and industry, including SMEs, and intermediaries). They should take into account synergies with activities in advanced digital skills supported by the Digital Europe Programme.

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.

International Cooperation