Quantum technology company Q-CTRL is partnering with the Quad Investors Network (QUIN) to provide quantum technology training in Australia and the US to enhance Quantum Education. The initiative, announced by Q-CTRL’s CEO, Professor Michael J Biercuk, will offer fully subsidised licenses for Q-CTRL’s Black Opal quantum educational technology software to students at vocational training institutions in Australia and Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the US. The IBM-HBCU Quantum Center will facilitate access to the software. The program, set to begin in 2024, aims to build a diverse quantum workforce and is supported by QUIN Chairman Karl Mehta and Australia’s Chief Scientist Cathy Foley.
Quantum Technology Training Partnership Announced
Q-CTRL, a company specialising in quantum control infrastructure software, has announced a partnership with the Quad Investors Network (QUIN) to deliver quantum technology training. The aim is to build diverse quantum workforces in Australia and the US. This announcement was made as Q-CTRL’s CEO, Professor Michael J Biercuk, attended the arrival of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the White House during his visit to the US.
Under this agreement, fully subsidised licenses for Q-CTRL’s Black Opal quantum educational technology software will be provided to students training in Technical and Further Education (TAFE) vocational training institutions in Australia and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the US. The program is set to commence in 2024, with plans to expand it across the other Quad countries in collaboration with partners there.
The IBM-HBCU Quantum Center will facilitate access to Q-CTRL’s Black Opal to its member institutions. QUIN Chairman Karl Mehta stated that inclusive workforce development in Quantum Technologies provides great access to the next generation of workforce. He added that Q-CTRL’s Black Opal quantum educational technology tool is a great example of how the quantum technology industry and the Quad Investor Network are committed to building the workforce of the future.
Advancing Diversity in Quantum Technology
This proposal reflects the shared priority of Quad partners to both build a skilled workforce and advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in all parts of the quantum technology ecosystem. The full potential for transformational impacts arising from quantum technologies cannot be realised without a skilled workforce bringing diverse experiences to the growing quantum industry.
Australia’s Chief Scientist Cathy Foley stated that this partnership is a great example of leadership from the private sector. She added that improving quantum literacy and investment will ensure we accelerate quantum technologies and make the most of this new era.
QUIN Executive Director Asif Bhatti expressed excitement over Q-CTRL’s cross-border workforce development across the QUAD countries. He strongly supports the program’s focus on enabling access to a broad range of students through collaboration with HBCUs and TAFEs.
Focusing on Post-Secondary Students
Existing initiatives in higher education have primarily targeted expanded training of PhD students. This is the first initiative specifically focused on enabling post-secondary students from non-quantum backgrounds to enter the industry sector. Workforce development of this kind represents a strategic, long-term investment in a sector poised to deliver transformational capabilities from finance and pharmaceuticals through to defence and cybersecurity.
Q-CTRL founder and CEO Prof. Michael Biercuk stated that employees with backgrounds from machining and coding through to business and politics are needed to support the growth of the quantum sector. He added that as a flexible tool crafted specifically for learners seeking to enter the field from adjacent areas, they’re excited to help remove barriers from the realisation of a truly diverse quantum workforce through broadened access to Black Opal.
About Q-CTRL
Q-CTRL’s quantum control infrastructure software for R&D professionals and quantum computing end users delivers high performance error-correcting and suppressing techniques globally. It provides a unique capability accelerating the pathway to the first useful quantum computers and quantum sensors. Q-CTRL also operates a quantum sensing division focused on software-level innovation for strategic capability.
Founded by Michael J. Biercuk in 2017, Q-CTRL has pioneered the quantum infrastructure software segment. It has been a member of the IBM Quantum Network startup program since 2018, and its performance management software is now being natively integrated into IBM quantum computers. The company has international headquarters in Sydney, Los Angeles, Berlin, and Oxford.
About the Quad Investors Network and the IBM-HBCU Quantum Center
The Quad Investors Network is a technology network for investors, industry, and innovators across the Quad nations. It focuses on ten core technical areas, including semiconductors, AI, clean energy, and quantum technology. The Quad Investors Network recently announced a Quantum Center of Excellence focused on topics such as workforce development and cross-border investment in quantum technologies.
The IBM-HBCU Quantum Center is a multi-year investment designed to prepare and develop talent at HBCUs from all STEM disciplines for the quantum future. It emphasizes the power of community and focus on developing students through support and funding for research opportunities, curriculum development, workforce advocacy, and special projects. It has already directly engaged 50 post-secondary students at 27 participating HBCUs in research projects across fields including quantum materials, quantum chemistry, and quantum computing. The Center has also tapped more than 80 HBCU faculty members to participate in faculty development opportunities and serve as student mentors.
“Inclusive workforce development in Quantum Technologies provides great access to the next generation of workforce,” QUIN Chairman Karl Mehta said. “Q-CTRL’s Black Opal quantum educational technology tool is a great example of how the quantum technology industry and the Quad Investor Network are committed to building the workforce of the future.”
According to Australia’s Chief Scientist Cathy Foley, “This partnership is a great example of leadership from the private sector. Improving quantum literacy and investment will ensure we accelerate quantum technologies and make the most of this new era. This is just what the Quad Investor Network was designed to do.”
“The QUIN is very excited by Q-CTRL’s cross-border workforce development across the QUAD countries,” QUIN Executive Director Asif Bhatti said. “We strongly support the program’s focus on enabling access to a broad range of students through collaboration with HBCUs and TAFEs.”
“We know that we need employees with backgrounds from machining and coding through to business and politics to support the growth of the quantum sector,” said Q-CTRL founder and CEO Prof. Michael Biercuk. “As a flexible tool crafted specifically for learners seeking to enter the field from adjacent areas, we’re excited to help remove barriers from the realization of a truly diverse quantum workforce through broadened access to Black Opal.”
Summary
Q-CTRL, a quantum technology firm, is partnering with the Quad Investors Network to provide quantum technology training to students in Australia and the US, with plans to expand to other Quad countries. The initiative, which will commence in 2024, aims to build a diverse and skilled workforce in the quantum industry, focusing on post-secondary students from non-quantum backgrounds, and is seen as a strategic investment in a sector with potential for transformational impacts in fields such as finance, pharmaceuticals, defence, and cybersecurity.
- Quantum technology company Q-CTRL is partnering with the Quad Investors Network (QUIN) to provide quantum technology training in Australia and the US.
- The partnership will offer fully subsidized licenses for Q-CTRL’s Black Opal quantum educational technology software to students at Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions in Australia and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the US.
- The program, set to begin in 2024, aims to expand across other Quad countries. The IBM-HBCU Quantum Center will facilitate access to Black Opal for its member institutions.
- The initiative is the first to focus on enabling post-secondary students from non-quantum backgrounds to enter the industry.
- Q-CTRL CEO, Professor Michael J Biercuk, QUIN Chairman Karl Mehta, Australia’s Chief Scientist Cathy Foley, and QUIN Executive Director Asif Bhatti have all expressed support for the partnership and its focus on diversity and inclusion in the quantum technology sector.
- The partnership aligns with the shared priority of Quad partners to build a skilled workforce and advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the quantum technology ecosystem.