Norbert Lütkenhaus, Executive Director for Quantum Computing, is leading a new international partnership to accelerate quantum technology development. The Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo and Perimeter Institute have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Italy’s National Institute for Nuclear Physics, National Research Council and ENEA. This collaboration, formalized at the Italian Cultural Institute in Toronto, will support joint research and exchange programs between Canadian and Italian scientists.

“IQC is pleased to join our colleagues at Perimeter Institute to advance collaboration with these Italian scientific institutes,” says Lütkenhaus. “Official collaboration agreements like this will encourage an exchange of ideas and talent and advance theoretical and experimental quantum research into real-world applications.”

Joint Research Initiatives Expand Canada-Italy Quantum Collaboration

This agreement extends beyond a Canadian-Italian pairing, establishing a network for joint projects and the exchange of researchers between the Perimeter Institute and its Italian counterparts. The collaboration will create new opportunities for joint research, researcher mobility, and sharing of infrastructure to advance the development of theoretical discoveries and new quantum technologies. IQC, founded in 2002 with support from Mike Lazaridis, operates the Quantum Nano Fabrication and Characterization Facility, providing cleanroom fabrication for the development of advanced quantum devices.

The institute hosts over 200 researchers spanning physics, chemistry, engineering and mathematics, and has a history of producing spinout companies focused on quantum random number generation and cryptography. IQC annually hosts the Quantum Information Processing conference and the Canadian Quantum Winter School, solidifying Waterloo’s position as a central hub for global quantum research and training. This new partnership builds on that existing network, promising increased opportunities for innovation and discovery.