On quantum day 2023are key players behind the $360 million investment in National Quantum Strategy Convened a panel to discuss the need for government support, coordinated efforts, and creating and retaining talent for advanced innovation in the quantum sector.
strategy, announced Last Friday, Canada’s quantum seeks to help technologies, companies and talents thrive.
The discussion was moderated by Annie Broadbent, Associate Professor and University of Ottawa Research Chair in Quantum Information and Cryptography.
The panellists opened the discussion by highlighting the need for increased investment as well as collaboration across all sources, including federal and provincial governments, industry and universities.
it is [National Quantum Strategy] Really a great example of how industry, academia and government all come together to address a really urgent need. And we must continue to act in a way that allows Canada to punch above its weight in the quantum realm. Genevieve Tanguy, Vice President Emerging Technologies National Research Council of Canada (NRC).
Nipun Vats, to Assistant Deputy Minister for Science and Research Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)Collaboration refers to tying together all the players in the sector and connecting the upstream and downstream elements of the innovation system. This means aligning the goals of each company. For example, some early-stage companies are looking to hire, while other institutions are looking to increase their research efforts.
Vats said some companies are just buyers and hence do not need financing. “We want to try and bring in industries that need to learn how to use these technologies and also be buyers and testers of those technologies for their own personal gain, for Canadian companies and Overall for the quantum ecosystem.”
Collaboration research is at the heart of the organization Mitacs, said the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), John Hepburn. “We are not going to do anything different than what we have been doing for more than two decades to bring industry and international partners together with our brilliant Canadian researchers to advance innovation and talent in Canada. “
Hepburn said Mitax is hiring business development consultants who are also PhD-level experts in quantum technology, and they work between industry and the university to set up joint research efforts, including international projects. “we has pledged to offer more than 5,000 internships over the coming six years directly related to areas of quantum technology,” Hepburn confirmed.
The National Quantum Strategy Secretariat, announced alongside the National Quantum Strategy, serves as the coordinating body that seeks to integrate the efforts and goals of each player. “When you go out internationally, people say ‘I work with these great researchers in Canada,’ but I don’t know who Canada is. Is it Mitex? Is it CIFAR (Canadian Institute for Advanced Research ) Is?’ So it’s really important to have a more common voice, so that people can see that we are present on the international stage in a way that reflects the level of effort that is going on in the country.”
Quantum ethics was also a major discussion point during the panel. Hepburn said Mitax will work directly with industries to investigate regulatory, legal and ethical concerns or issues related to quantum technology.
Watts, on the other hand, argued that quantum morality is essentially meaningless. This has implications for applications or use cases of specific quantum technologies that industries have to sort out and anticipate.
Evaluating the success of the strategy also depends on those specific use cases and applications. While there are metrics that reflect Canada’s international standing, it is impossible to establish a comprehensive success metric at an international level that can capture the goals and milestones of all players in the ecosystem, Watts explained, particularly The given volume has growing influence in other industries such as agriculture, energy, defense and security.
Alejandro Adem, President Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada ,NSERC)Stresses the importance of introducing EDI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) considerations in grants to the talent pool in quantum science and steps taken to ensure fair representation of indigenous groups, women, people of color by the Business Council of NSERC Talk about steps. , and persons with disabilities.
,We need to build in incentives, but a lot of it has to do with training and tenure and promotion and encouraging people to continue in these areas,” Watts said.
Tanguy said what happens before the hiring process is also important. “The pipeline is very leaky. And we have to figure out how to make sure that young women who are interested in going into physics go into physics, and complete their degrees, and we can connect with them.
