The European Commission is giving groups of researchers €1 billion over the next 10 years to develop quantum technologies. The fund is meant to also develop anything from faster computers and very secure communication systems to ultrasensitive sensors and more precise atomic clocks.
The announcement was outlined by Günther H. Oettinger, the Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society.
The project "should place Europe at the forefront of the second quantum revolution, bringing transformative advances to science, industry and society within the decade to come," said a spokesperson for the European Commission.
This is no formal competition, and the European Commission is preparing the ground for the launch in 2018.
The quantum flagship is managed as part of the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) programme, and is expected to be similar in size, timescale and ambition to the ongoing FET flagships, the Graphene flagship and the Human Brain Project.
Speaking at the Quantum Europe Conference organized by The Dutch presidency of the EU, the European Commission and the QuTech center in Delft, the Commissioner outlined his objective to reinforce European scientific leadership and excellence in quantum research and in quantum technologies.
Representatives presented the Quantum Manifesto to Oettinger and to the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Henk Kamp.
At one point, they have made it clear that quantum secure communication and computing are the key of future computing infrastructure. The quantum flagship underpins the European Cloud Initiative, as part of the Commission's strategy to digitize European industry that will bring transformative advances to science, industry and society.
The initiative is expected to turn Europe’s research results into concrete technological opportunities that can be used by other industries in the hope that they will create products out of them.
Following a series of dialogues between the European Commission with industry and other stakeholders, a "Quantum Manifesto" has been published with the support of more than 3000 representatives from academia, industry and governmental and funding institutions.
