Quantum sensing, information processing and computing - Shaping the future with the second quantum revolution

Dipartimento Unibo coinvolto: DIFA – Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia

Partner:

BROWN UNIVERSITY – USA
MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY - AUSTRALIA
STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY – SUDAFRICA

Obiettivo:

To prepare young people for future scientific and technological challenges, education on quantum sensing, information processing and computing should be based on novel premises. This requires a strong multidisciplinary approach, both within different sectors in physics and across other scientific disciplines (such as mathematics, chemistry, informatics, engineering), as well as the ability to look at the impact that new discoveries and technological applications might have on culture and society.

With the present proposal we aim at:

  1. fostering the international, and especially overseas, research collaborations of DIFA on these strategic themes, by reinforcing some existing contacts and starting new ones;4
  2. exposing our students to an international panorama, by integrating some classes of our first-, second- and third-degree level with lessons/seminars held by teachers coming from high level foreign institutions
  3. enlarging the opportunities of our Master and PhD students to spend periods abroad in an international research framework;
  4. organizing a Summer School for Master/PhD students, which will experiment a transversal approach to the themes of the Quantum Sciences and Technologies.

Budget: 20.000 €

Perché collaborare con l'università coinvolta nel progetto può essere significativo per Unibo?

The proposed project fulfils the three missions of UNIBO: education, research and society.

  • In the European Quantum Flagship roadmap, special attention is given to the formation of a new generation of quantum professionals through focused interdisciplinary educational programs. DIFA will start to include some new courses in its LM programs in the next academic year, with the plan to further develop innovative proposals in the following years. The organization of the Summer School will be a great opportunity to confront our ideas with that of other institutions and will also represent a first test bench for the planning of new formation paths.
  • This project will strongly contribute to enhance the cooperation on Quantum Sciences and Technologies between scientists of our Department and of institutions that lead the research in this field in their own country by hosting also important specialized research centers. This could lead to joint research of staff members and the presentation of common research proposals. Also, the contribution to the already available mobility channels will help young researchers to get involved in international high-level projects.
  • DIFA is working actively in promoting the expertise of its researchers towards industrial and business subjects. This project will consolidate the relationships between DIFA and important centers in our territory, such as CINECA and IFAB with which we have ongoing projects and will also open a communication channel between the Department and leading Italian and world companies in the field of quantum communication and computation.

In addition to the above mentioned points, this projects will contribute to other two more specific aspects of the strategic plan of DIFA:

  • In the last years, the international dimension of the Physics and Astronomy Department has been boosted by several actions. This has allowed the Department to improve substantially its scores in local and national evaluations, but this positive trend has to be consolidated by concrete and long-lasting actions, of which this project represents an important step.
  • The DIFA strategic project funded by UNIBO “Progetti di Sviluppo Strategico dei Dipartimenti”, focuses on the creation of a department facility lab (OPH).This proposal will contribute to include the innovative field of quantum technologies within the range of interest of the Hub. In particular, the Summer School will be able to count on and contribute to the renewal of some recent experiences of summers schools on “Physical Sensing and Processing”, sponsored by OPH.

Principali risultati raggiunti/attesi

As for the educational side, this project will:

  1. increase the visibility of the DIFA international LM programs, helping to grow the number of foreign degree seeking students;
  2. give support to DIFA international LM programs to include lessons or seminars taught by scientists from high level foreign institutions, with an impact also on the students’ quality rating on teaching;
  3. enlarge the mobility opportunities of LM and PhD students, by introducing a new channel for exchanges with high ranked partner institutions that can increase the number of students that go abroad for an internship;
  4. promote, through the experience of the Summer School, a new form of interdisciplinary didactics on the themes of Quantum Sciences and Technology, that can pave the way to the proposal of more structured innovative teaching programs in future years.

As for the research side, this project will:

  1. enlarge the topics of collaborations of DIFA with institutions with highly ranked specialized centers in Quantum Science and Technology and increase the visibility of DIFA researchers inside the research community;
  2. strengthen and open new collaborations between UNIBO and the partner Institutions, that can lead also to the presentation of new research proposals;
  3. reinforce a multidisciplinary approach among researchers inside DIFA and with other Unibo Departments, helping to publish papers with a strong interdisciplinary character.
  4. Finally, the summer school will be an occasion to cultivate and establish contacts with organizations and companies which work or are interested to work in the field of Quantum Technologies. This will:
  5. represent a moment for students to reflect on jobs opportunities, put them in contact with the world of work and thus favor their future professional occasions;
  6. foster contacts between enterprises and DIFA, promoting common research and technological transfer.