New quantum computing program receives $1.25M in NSERC funding

A new quantum computing program led by Lukas Chrostowski, an electrical and computer engineering professor and scientific director of the Quantum Computing Research Excellence Cluster at UBC, has been awarded a grant of $1.65 million over six years under the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada's Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program.

The CREATE program seeks "to improve the training and mentoring environment for the Canadian researchers of tomorrow by improving training in areas such as professional skills, communication and collaboration."

The first program of its kind in Canada, Quantum BC — a joint initiative of UBC, Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria — will offer graduate students unique training and work experience in quantum computing hardware and software. Together with partner companies including D-Wave Systems, IBM, Microsoft and Google, the program aims to advance quantum computing by supporting the development of future innovators in the field.

Scheduled to officially launch this fall, Quantum BC currently hosts a seminar series and a graduate-level introduction to quantum computing course taught by UBC electrical and computer engineering assistant professor Joe Salfi. Recruitment for several scholarships is currently underway, and applications for the first cohort of program participants are due July 1, 2020.

For more information about Quantum BC, please see the Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute's announcement at CREATE program to crystalize eminence in quantum computing training in BC.

"IBM quantum computer" by IBM Research was cropped and is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0