Contents 1 DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF QIPC RESEARCH IN EUROPE 1.1 QIPC RESEARCH IN EUROPE - EUROPEAN UNION LEVEL 1.2 QIPC RESEARCH IN EUROPE - NATIONAL LEVEL 1.2.1 NATIONAL FUNDING 1.2.2 LOCAL FUNDING 1.2.3 OTHER FUNDING 1.3 QIPC RESEARCH IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT 1.4 THE EUROPEAN FLAVOR, VISIONS AND GOALS 1.5 QIPC IN A WIDER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL CONTEXT

DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF QIPC RESEARCH IN EUROPE

Quantum Information Processing and Communication (QIPC) is a vigorously active cross-disciplinary field drawing upon theoretical and experimental physics, computer science, engineering, mathematics, and material science. Its scope ranges from fundamental issues in quantum physics to prospective commercial exploitation by the computing and communications industries.

QIPC RESEARCH IN EUROPE - EUROPEAN UNION LEVEL

QIPC has a high-risk nature and long-term outlook with visions within the scope of information and communication technologies. The potential of QIPC was quickly recognized by FET – the Future and Emerging Technologies part of the Information Society Technologies priority of the Research Programme of the European Commission. FET has been very successful in attracting to the IST Program the best research teams in Europe, which are also among the best ones in the world. The pathfinder role of FET plays a crucial role for the development of QIPC in Europe.

In the late 80’s and early 90’s quantum phenomena were studied by projects funded by the EC in the field of optoelectronics and electronics with the aim to overcome the limitations to the respective state-of-the-art devices. In the Fourth Framework Programme (FP4, 1995 – 1998) this research gradually evolved towards the objective of “quantum information processing”. The focus was on the demonstration of quantum entanglement with photons, which was technologically more mature. In the mid 90’s, important results were achieved by several groups in Europe and shortly after they became the driving force behind a number of FET projects.

During 1998 the QCEPP working group (the so-called Pathfinder Project) laid the bases for the research field of QIPC at European level and was the first endeavour explicitly addressing this area of research. This working group produced an extensive report with a roadmap, a map of European research teams with relevant competencies and set the research agenda for several years ahead. It played a crucial role by organizing the research community, by stimulating it to reach critical mass within a short time period and by building the support for the launch of QIPC as a Proactive Initiative.

In FP5 (1999–2002) FET launched QIPC as a Proactive Initiative (PI). It was implemented via ‘calls for proposals’ directly targeted to QIPC and a certain amount of the FET budget was reserved in advance. There were two calls for proposals and 25 projects were launched with total cost of 41 M€ and EU funding of 31 M€. The contracts of the last group of FP5 projects finish at the end of 2005. Integrate the projects arising from the Open scheme with those supported through the proactive initiative and coordinate the work of all these projects was a main priority of the proactive initiative in FP5. Important traditions were also established at that time. Each year since the beginning of the proactive initiative two major events are organized. The first one is a ‘cluster review’ and conference. Its goals are to evaluate the work of each project and how its objectives fit within the cluster, to revise priorities if necessary and to evaluate the progress of the cluster as a whole. The second event is the annual European QIPC workshop where projects present their work. Both forums give the opportunity for interactions between the members of the projects and for cross-fertilization.

In FP6 (2003–2006) QIPC continues as a FET PI. There was one call for Integrated Projects (IP) with deadline 22 September 2004. Three Integrated Projects succeeded in the evaluations and started in November 2005 with a contract for four years and total EU funding of 25 M€:

SCALA – Scalable Quantum Computing with Light and Atoms (9.4 M€): The focus is on the realization of a scalable quantum computer, by using individually controlled atoms, ions and photons. This long-term goal is divided into two specific objectives, achievable during the project duration: A) the realization of interconnected quantum gates and quantum wiring elements. B) the realization of first approaches of “operational” quantum computing, which include (i) systems able to perform small-scale quantum algorithms, such as error correction (ii) special-purpose quantum processors, such as quantum simulators, and (iii) entanglement-assisted metrology.

QAP – Qubit Applications (9.9 M€): The focus is on qubit applications that are based on photonic, atomic and solid state systems. One of the project objectives is to design, build and operate quantum memories. It also aims to developing scalable quantum networks and operational prototypes of quantum repeaters that would allow to transmit quantum entanglement over large distances (both in fiber and free space). The ultimate goal is to design prototypes for satellite communications based on quantum entanglement. The project also strives to developing operational demonstrations of efficient control of dynamics of few-qubit quantum systems that will be employed for performing quantum simulations.

EuroSQIP – European Superconducting Quantum Information Processor (6M€): The focus is to develop a 3-5-qubit quantum information processor capable to: - run elementary algorithms; demonstrate quantum state control of a macroscopic multi-partite system; demonstrate entanglement and entanglement transfer; provide storage of quantum information; provide quantum communication interfaces; run simple quantum error correction schemes for suppression of decoherence. This will be implemented on platforms based on Josephson junction technology for i) charge-phase and ii) flux qubits.

The IPs proposed research goes obviously beyond the present state-of-the-art, which confirms the strong European presence in QIPC and the progress made in the last years. All projects deal with central topics of quantum computing and one of them (QAP) addresses in addition central topics of quantum communication and quantum information. All three consortia involve leading European scientists in their respective fields. In all projects the European dimension is a clear added value. In two of them (SCALA and QAP) the accent on integration across different disciplines and approaches is very strong and it is considered crucial for the further advancement of QIPC in Europe.

QIPC is also funded via the FET-Open continuous submission scheme, which supports long-term, risky and visionary research. In this case the research area is not specified in advance and QIPC projects are competing with all other areas sponsored by FET. The role of FET Open is essential, for it supports new topics that had not been addressed in the proactive initiative and allows filling the time gap between dedicated QIPC calls. In FP5 ten QIPC projects with total cost of 7 M€ and EU funding of 5.6 M€ were launched. The QUIPROCONE Thematic Network successfully coordinated all QIPC projects in FP5, integrating the projects arising from the Open scheme with those supported through the proactive initiative. In FP6, eight smaller projects (Specific Targeted Research Projects, or STREPs) were contracted via FET Open afor a total EU funding of 13.6M€: COVAQIAL - Continuous Variable Quantum Information with Atoms and Light, QUELE - Quantum Computing with Trapped Electrons, RSFQUBIT - RSFQ Control of Josephson Junctions Qubits, OLAQUI - Optical lattices and quantum information, ACDET - Acoustoelectronic single photon detector, MICROTRAP - Development of pan-European micro-trap technology capability for trapped ion quantum information science, QICS - Foundational Structures of Quantum Information and Computation, EQUIND - Engineered Quantum Information in Nanostructured Diamond.

At the end of 2006 there are two active Coordination Action Projects. These are not research projects, but rather their goal is to collaborate with the QIPC FET proactive initiative in developing a strategy and in carrying out common activities.

ERA-Pilot QIST – Structuring the ERA with quantum information science and technology (850 k€): Its goal is to promote QIPC research in Europe and to give recommendations to European and national authorities on policy, structuring, coordination and funding. Its work includes: contribute to the updates of the QIPC Roadmap; develop a map of European QIPC groups and their expertise; develop a QIPC classification scheme according to the roadmap; compile information about national and international QIPC programmes. The contract is extended till the end of 2007 and cooperation with the QUROPE coordination action described below is established.

QUROPE – QIPC in Europe (1 M€): It aims at structuring the European QIPC research community around the FET QIPC proactive initiative and covers a large spectrum of activities like: develop a common European vision, strategy and goals for QIPC research by taking over the ERA-Pilot tasks of developing and updating the QIPC roadmap, increase the public visibility and aim at broad dissemination activities; develop and support an Electronic Information Infrastructure and Information Exchange (with a feedback channel); organize scientific meetings; create links with industry; develop international collaboration outside of Europe. It is important to note that the consortium consists of 34 research groups, among the best from all over Europe. These play the role of regional focal points for other 43 research groups who are defined as affiliated members. In this way a considerable part of the scientific community can participate in the actions undertaken by the project. The decision making process is in the power of the Governing Board which consists of 19 well known scientists. Therefore the project is central to the entire QIPC scientific community and plays the role of its collective representative. It has reached a higher level of maturity and integration than all other similar actions in the past.

In order to complete the picture of the projects in the area of QIPC funded by the European Commission, it is necessary to mention that there is one project in the field of QIPC which is not funded by FET but rather by the Security strategic objective of the IST Research Program. It is called SECOQC - Development of a Global Network for Secure Communication based on Quantum Cryptography. This FP6 IP started on April 2004, and it will last four years with a total cost of 16.82 M€ and EU funding of 11.35 M€. The project emerged naturally from the FP5 FET QIPC projects in the field of applied quantum cryptography. The consortium comprises 40 research groups which are the best ones in Europe in this field. They have all been or still are partners in the FET QIPC projects and are active participants in the actions undertaken by the QIPC proactive initiative. SECOQC has very ambitious goals in the practical realizations of quantum cryptography: specify, design, and validate the feasibility of an open, Quantum Key Distribution infrastructure dedicated to secure quantum communication, as well as fully develop the basic enabling technology. A network will be designed for dependable and secure long-range quantum communication building upon a Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology. The functionality of the developed architecture will be demonstrated. The design will be based on a comprehensive analysis of requirements of potential users. In January 2007 the SECOQC project consortium published a White Paper on Quantum Key Distribution and Quantum Cryptography.

Other projects in the area of QIPC funded by the European Commission research program in general are the existing two Marie Curie research training networks funded by the Marie Curie program of DG RTD. They are CONQUEST: Controlled Quantum Coherence and Entanglement is Sets of Trapped Particles and ATOMCHIPS.

The FET QIPC proactive initiative fulfils a natural leading role and is the focal point for all QIPC researchers in Europe. Its main objectives can be divided into two groups. The first one is quite obvious: define calls for proposals, organize evaluations of proposals, negotiate project contracts, manage and monitor projects throughout their complete lifetime. The second group is less evident and much more sophisticated. But most importantly, in order to have any chances of success, it has to be carried out every step of the way in close collaboration with the entire research community and with its active participation. Bottom-up approach, exchange of ideas and an open dialogue, mutual respect and common understanding, comprehensive and no-nonsense feedback channels are all key elements of this very difficult but stimulating and rewarding journey. Some of the objectives in the second group are:

• Promote information exchange and collaboration between research groups and projects
• Plan pan-European events and activities
• Maintain pan-European dissemination activities and a comprehensive public image of the field
• Create and maintain a dialogue with the research management in member states and at European level
• Coordinate efforts between national and local programs on one hand and the EU initiative on the other hand
• Structure and strengthen the research community, unify it around the QIPC initiative
• Create a sense of community and a common European identity, develop a pan-European strategy for the future development of the community
• Develop and maintain an European QIPC web portal with a comprehensive feedback channel
• Define a common vision and objectives for research, a pan-European strategy for research and therefore continuously maintain and update the European QIPC roadmap
• Support emerging new areas, research topics and applications
• Create international alliances and a common strategy for international collaboration at pan-European level
• Maintain a dialogue and create a common strategy to attract industrial partners
• Create and maintain a common strategy and unified standards for the education of young researchers
• Maintain a global overview at European level

All these elements need to be in dynamic equilibrium between each other and it is very important to respond on time and proactively to:

• the changing needs of the community
• the fast research developments
• changes at EU and Commission level
• changes in the international scene

The QIPC proactive initiative has significantly enhanced the European Research Area in the field in terms of fostering greater integration between previously disjoint research groups and national programs. It is an excellent example that the whole is worth much more than its individual parts. The proactive initiative has become the focal point for all research teams in Europe and for all major activities in the field. An important sense of community and a common European identity among scientists are in the process of development. A common European research strategy has been elaborated in the QIPC roadmap. All these activities have naturally led to a greater awareness and prominence of QIPC research in Europe. It is now a well established scientific field which has matured in the last ten years. There is critical mass in Europe in the main sub-fields and European science is competitive at world level. Some applications are already fit for real-world deployment. The FET QIPC proactive initiative is thus a very strong and successful unifying and structuring factor, which allowed the European groups to be at the forefront of research in a very competitive international environment and in a very fast developing field which is at the cutting edge of science in general. It is clear that QIPC research has gained an important European dimension which is crucial for its future.

Considering all these developments, it is therefore necessary to substantially expand and strengthen activities at European level in order to be able to exploit the full potential of European research and to withstand the challenges of the international competition. In particular there is a need for increasing the QIPC funding at the European level. Funding must carefully balance between focusing on specific promising areas and topics, while being open towards a whole spectrum of existing research fields and the possibility of new ones opening up. It is in fact too early to pick the winner implementation for the practical realization of a general purpose quantum computer and it is possible that the concrete technology is still to be developed. At this stage we need to keep a diversity of different approaches and funding needs in order to increase the probability of success and to ensure continuity. FET has attempted to provide continuous funding for solutions which proved promising while at the same time encouraging new ideas. The need for continuity and increase of funding necessitates commitment from the funding agencies and the active collaboration of researchers to position QIPC research in a larger strategic and political context.

Other actions that will help in achieving the ambitious goal of making QIPC a reality, would be

• expand activities to support the main objectives of the QIPC proactive initiative as given above
• support and maintain research in all the main sub-domains of QIPC: quantum communication, computation and information theory
• keep a diversity of experimental realizations and approaches, and yet actively to look for synergies and integration between them in order to reach concrete objectives
• ensure timely and appropriate concentration of efforts and coordination of activities

Breakthroughs of the type needed to make QIPC a reality cannot be expected to follow a precise timetable. It is however imperative that at each point in time we have a clear understanding of the results obtained, an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses in present research, as well as a clear definition of the challenges and the objectives.

QIPC RESEARCH IN EUROPE - NATIONAL LEVEL

Apart from the EU program, QIPC is also coordinated and funded by several organisations at the national or regional level. All groups involved in QIPC receive support from their home institutions (e.g. universities) in form of building costs, salaries, etc. This basic support is difficult to quantify precisely, for most of the time it is impossible to know the exact costs, and some estimation (e.g. based on the size of the group under scrutiny) would be needed. In terms of external funding, one can distinguish several levels.

• The main funding source for QIST programs usually comes from a few national organisations in each country, mainly ministries, government agencies, or Academies of Science.
• Sometimes local funding comes from regions or cities that wish to attract centers of excellence in QIST.
• Other sources of funding are emerging, in particular the ones based on start-ups and agencies such as the European Space Agency.
• Some groups also have grants from American funding agencies, such as DARPA, ARO, and NIST.

NATIONAL FUNDING

As a basic research field, QIST is still traditionally funded by the different national governmental organisation depending on the country (ministry, governmental agency etc.). These agencies fund every research topics and QIST is typically a small percentage of the overall budget (in the percent range). However many of them have recently developed focus program or umbrella topics for QIST.

The identified main national founders for each country are the following

• Austria
  • Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT)
  • Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG)
  • Zentrum für Innovation und Technologie GmbH
  • City of Vienna
  • Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
  • Tiroler Zukunftsstiftung

• Belgium
  • Fund for Scientific Research - Flanders/Belgium (FWO)
  • Fondation National de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS)
  • Communauté Française de Belgique
  • Belgian Federal Science Policy Office

• Bulgaria
  • Ministry of Education and Science
  • National Science Fund.

• Czech Republic
  • Ministry of Education
  • Czech Science Fundation
  • Förderagentur der Republik Tschechien (GACR)
  • Förderagentur der Akademie der Wissenschaften (AVCR)
  • Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior

• Cyprus
  • Research Promotion Foundation (RPF)

• Denmark
  • Danish National Research Foundation (DG)
  • Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation
  • Strategic Research Centre for Nano Science
  • Danish Research Agency (FORSK)
  • Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation (FIST)

• Estonia
  • Estonian Science Foundation (EstSF)
  • Ministry of Education and Research
  • Ministry of Economics Affairs and Communication
  • EE Enterprise Estonia

• Finland
  • Academy of Finland
  • National Technology Agency of Finland (TEKES).

• France
  • Agence Nationale pour la Recherche (ANR)
  • Région Ile de France (Paris area), which supports QIST trough two main channels :
  • Institut Francilien de Recherche sur les Atomes Froids (IFRAF), http://213.251.135.217/ifraf/
  • Centre de compétence NanoSciences Ile de france (C’NANO) http://www.cnanoidf.org/
  • Région Rhone-Alpe
  • Centre National de la recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
  • Ministère de la Recherche
  • Délégation Générale pour l’armement (DGA)
  • Direction de la Recherche Technologique
  • ANVAR (L'agence francaise de l'innovation)
  • Ministère de l’Économie des Finances et de l’Industrie.

• Germany
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
  • Bayerisches Staatsministerium
  • Landesstiftung BW
  • Max-Planck-Society
  • VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH

• Greece
  • Ministry of Development
  • General Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT)

• Hungary
  • Ministry of Education
  • Hungarian Scientific Research Fund
  • Hungarian Academy of Science
  • National Office for Research and Technology (NKTH)

• Ireland
  • Advisory Science Council (ASC)
  • Science Foundation of Ireland (SFI)

• Italy
  • Italian National Research Council (CNR)
  • Ministry for Education and Research (MIUR)
  • Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN)
  • Istituto Nazionale di Alta Matematica (INDAM)
  • Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (iNRiM)
  • Regione Piemonte
  • San Paolo Fundation
  • Nanotechnology lab
  • QIPC is also one of the two scientific lines that CNISM (Consorzio Interuniversitario per le Scienze Fisiche della Materia) decided to support

• Luxembourg
  • Fonds National de la Recherche

• Netherlands
  • Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM)
  • Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research
  • The Technology Foundation (STW)

• Poland
  • Ministry of Science and Higher Education
  • Ministry of Science and Information Technology
  • Polish Academy of Sciences

• Portugal
  • Science and Technology Foundation (FCT)
  • Innovation Agency (AdI)

• Russia
  • Russian Foundation for Basic Research

• Slovakia
  • Research and Development Support Agency (APVV)
  • Quantum Information program of the Slovakian Academy of Science.

• Spain
  • Ministry of Education and Science (MEC)
  • Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT)
  • University of Barcelona
  • Generalitat de Catalunya
  • Madrid General Government

• Sweden
  • Knowledge Foundation
  • Swedish Foundation for Strategic research (SSF) via the QIP consortium (Chalmers, Göteborg, and KTH, Stockholm)
  • Swedish Research Council (VR) – Natural and Engineering Sciences
  • Swedish foundation for International Cooperation
  • The Swedish Royal Academy of Science

• Switzerland
  • Swiss National science Foundation (SNF).

• Turkey
  • Tubitak-Uekae

• United Kingdom
  • Royal Society
  • Research Council
  • DTI Department of Trade and Industry
  • Engineering and Physical Sciences Research council (EPSRC)
  • Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL)

LOCAL FUNDING

As a highly promising field, QIST is often supported at the local level (city or region). Several examples in Europe have led to the creation of centers for Quantum Information, sometimes in a more general context. This funding can be quite stable in time, and usually consists in particular of a large startup sum, but also in a more long-term support. One can cite for instance:

• The region of Catalonia in Spain strongly supported the creation of the Institute for Photonic Science (ICFO) in 2002 in Barcelona, which has a strong emphasis on QIST. This institute is meant to be permanent and, when at full size, will employ up to 300 people.
• The Region of Tyrol and the city of Innsbruck in Austria also supported the creation of the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI); this centre was mentioned as "an example of outstanding quality" for activity in atomic molecular and optical physics research in a recent report of the US National Research Council.
• The Region Paris-Ile-de-France through the creation of the Francilian Institute for Research on Cold Atoms (IFRAF), which comprises more than 30 groups from 6 different laboratories in Greater Paris.
• The United Kingdom is funding an Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (IRC) in QIPC between leading research universities and industrial laboratories. The initiative started in April 2004 with a funding level of 15M€ in four years.

These initiatives can either, as for ICFO, create a new centre of excellence, or as in the case of IFRAF, construct a new centre of excellence from an existing pool of competence. In most cases the local funding is motivated by the development of a high-impact scientific field and high-level research, and it has a beneficial impact on local industry and economy.

OTHER FUNDING

As possible applications of QIST become likely to appear in the near future, start-ups have begun to emerge. The main interest so far is in quantum cryptography, in particular Quantum Key Distribution.

The oldest European company is IdQuantique, spin-off from the university of Geneva in 2001. Several new appeared recently : SmartQuantum, created in 2004 in Lagnon, France, Qutools in Munich, Germany. Other competing start-ups for early adopters on the market are MagiQ, Optemax, and Qinetiq from the USA. These companies are mostly spin-off of QIST research groups, funded through the usual start-up scheme: university incubators at the early stage of their existence, then business angels or hedge funds to sustain them beyond their first years of existence. They mainly develop commercial fibered QKD systems, but most of them admit that there is no real market for such system yet. There is however already a small but active market for Quantum-based Random Number Generators (IdQuantique).

Quantum computing has also aroused interest for possible commercial applications. However the investment required and the timescale for developing a commercial quantum computer are much larger than for a QKD system. There is no start-up interested in developing a quantum computer in Europe so far, the only example known being in Canada, where one company (D-WAVE) has been created in 1999.

Several very large companies have also interest in QIST, with a focus on applied system research and components. In Europe, the main companies involved are Toshiba (UK), Thalès (France), France Telecom (France), Philips (Netherlands), Pirelli (Italy), Hitachi (UK) Hewlett-Packard (UK). Worldwide, companies such as IBM and NEC are also involved in QIST. The companies either have their own lab (Toshiba, HP, IBM), and/or can alternatively fund research groups (Philips). It has proven practically impossible to obtain reliable information about the amount of investment in QIST by these companies.

Another interesting source of funding is the European Space Agency (ESA). Several 50k€ feasibility studies on Quantum Communication in space were successfully completed since 2002 and one experimental terrestrial 200k € study over 144 km horizontal free-space link is ongoing. Within ESA’s science program, the proposal Space-QUEST (to place a QKD terminal onboard the International Space Station) was rated as ‘outstanding’. Several European industries submitted proposals to develop a prototype engineering model of a faint laser and entangled photon source with a total budget of 600k €. In the second half of 2008 a study on the feasibility of a QKD system on various future satellite missions is expected with 300k€. So far more than 1Mio€ have been spent on the different studies under evaluation at the time this report was made. But the overall budget for the Space-QUEST project, if it is accepted, would be approximately 80M € until 2014, with approximately 20% devoted to basic research. If successful, this would make ESA a major funding source for QIST in Europe.

QIPC RESEARCH IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT

Quantum information processing has become a scientific discipline with its own identity during the last ten years. The advent of quantum cryptography in the 80s and then the recognition of quantum computing in the 90s, for example using Shor’s algorithm, provided the motivation and have been the starting point of serious experimental and theoretical efforts to realize QIPC at large.

Through the activities of the 2000-2004 EC FP5 FET-PI QIPC programme, Europe has, in the main, been at the leading edge of QIS worldwide. The early spearheading of this high-risk R&D effort by the EC has aided in the creation of a number of national investments in QIS with the research area now reaching a more mature stage of medium/high risk. Until now, European publication output and quality has been on a par (and even superior) with the US, while other nations have begun systematic ramp-up in QIS investments.

In the last years, significant growths in the research efforts within the field of QIS have been made worldwide. Especially the US has fostered their research activities, supported by a number of public funding agencies, namely the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Today, the US investment in QIPC of estimated 149 Million USD represents nearly 50 % of the worldwide research expenses in this field. Other important nations are Canada (31.6 MUSSD), Japan (20.0 MUSD), Australia (19.1 MUSD), Brazil (15.2 MUSD) and China (14.2 MUSD).

To retain our leading position in research and to capitalize on the Commission’s already significant investments in QIS (50M€ in FP5 and FP6), it is vital to ensure that the EC investment in QIS remains competitive with the US and other national/continental QIS investors. Our current intelligence indicates that a Commission investment of 8M€/yr will compete very poorly with the US, who now federally invests 149 MUSD/yr.

Indeed, Australia, with a population of 20 million (EU population is ~450 million), will be federally investing, $8MAUS/yr (5M€/yr), in a coherent QIS effort through its National Centers of Excellence. Among the strongest threats to Europe’s lead role in Q/NIST/IS is the US FoQuS programme. The FoQuS programme (by the US Defense Advanced Research and Projects Agency), was initially tabled in early 2004 with a specific targeting of quantum computer QIS in a single project funded to ~90MUSD over four years, with worldwide researcher participation. This programme has not yet been fully launched but remains under consideration by the US for 2005. With the very significant international targeting of QIS ramping up around the world it is imperative that Europe remains competitive. QIS R&D support on the scale of ~8M€/year puts Europe at the lower end of worldwide QIS funding support. With such a potential decrease in international competitiveness, there is considerable risk that European research in QIS and the resulting technology developments (commercial and defense), will not be sustainable, leaving Europe reliant on importing such developed QIS technology from abroad.

Estimated funding of QIPC outside Europe in Million USD. Salaries represent 64% of the direct costs (costs without any overhead), whereas experimental equipment represents 36% of the direct costs. Overhead costs that are customary in the place have been added

THE EUROPEAN FLAVOR, VISIONS AND GOALS

In comparison with the international QIPC programs, the characteristics of the European effort are its broader scope, beyond the focus on specific issues like security or special applications like factoring, as for example in the US and in Australia. Moreover, there is a much stronger theoretical component and emphasis on fundamental physics. Clearly, Europe has achieved a critical mass in this much broader context of QIPC which includes both theoretical and experimental physics: atomic physics, quantum optics and laser physics, high energy and mathematical physics, condensed matter, etc., as well as from other disciplines like computer science, mathematics, material science, several areas in engineering, etc.

The European vision is to advance quantum information processing in such a wider context which includes the spectrum from fundamental quantum physics to applications in science and engineering.

Novelty and Innovation

To remain competitive Europe should nurture QIS technology innovation from fundamental research

One of the most challenging aspects in creating a new technology is the transition of basic research with its accompanying spin-off technologies, into more application driven research where inherently QIS based applications are researched and developed. The earliest such QIS-driven application is quantum cryptography with a number of QCrypto SMEs already in operation worldwide. General purpose quantum computation, e.g. for factoring of large integers and related applications maybe a long-term goal. But quantum memories/repeaters and multiparty QIS software, will be developed in the next five years with the potential for even greater innovation and SME/Multinational commercialisation. Although there have been efforts by the US and others to make this transition to a more innovation based QIS research community, they have not succeeded so far and Europe, through FP6 QIPC-PI, has the opportunity to begin facilitating this transition and in this way could gain at least a two-year competitive advantage over others. The particular emphasis by the project QAP to build a complete QIS R&D pipeline from fundamental research in computer science, quantum algorithms and quantum information theory through to experimental development, where the overall emphasis is to develop truly QIS based applications in the medium-term, is unique in the world. No other nation/continent has managed to create such a synergy. Some of the FET-PI QIPC Integrated Projects contain over 13% industrial partner effort and this connection to industry will be proactively targeted and ramped up over the coming five years through the cooperative efforts of FET-PI QIPC IPs. The inclusion of a variety of QIS projects, some focused on fundamental research and some focused on applications, in the FET-PI will put Europe in a strategic position worldwide.

Convergence

QIS research is expanding beyond its traditional boundaries as device complexity grows and many different physical QIS elements are integrated

There is a convergence of many information technologies towards QIS. Examples include, integrated photonics research both linear & nonlinear, quantum effects in nanotechnology & materials science, interfacing classical information systems with quantum-atomic systems, quantum solid-state systems, and quantum photonic-systems. Such emerging plurality of QIS is already recognized by the NSF, where QIS R&D has a presence in many Divisions of the NSF, e.g. Physics, Computer-Communication Foundations, Nanoscale Science and Engineering, and Information Technology Research Divisions. Thus, the QIS portfolio encompasses some of the E-Nano R&D effort.

European Research Area

QIS has the potential to bring the vision of a true European Research Area into being

QIS R&D is expanding throughout Europe with significant New-States contributions (Poland/Slovakia). The European QIS research community is well organized (thanks to previous networking initiatives by the EC), and many nations will work coherently in a recently funded ERA-NET project in Quantum Information Science and Technology (ERA Pilot-QIST). The creation of truly European Research Area is essential and justifies additional funds for the QIPC programme.

QIPC IN A WIDER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL CONTEXT

QIPC has arisen in response to a variety of converging scientific and technological challenges. The main one being the limits imposed on information processing by the fundamental laws of physics. Research shows that quantum mechanics provides completely new paradigms for computation and communication. Today the aim of QIPC is to understand how the fundamental laws of quantum physics can be harnessed to improve the acquisition, transmission, and processing of information. The classical theory of information and computation, developed extensively during the twentieth century, although undeniably very successful up to now, cannot describe information processing at the level of atoms and molecules. It has to be superseded by a quantum theory of information. What makes the new theory so intellectually compelling is that the results are so surprising and with so far reaching consequences.

During the last ten years, QIPC has already established the most secure methods of communication, and the basic building blocks for QIPC have been demonstrated in technologically challenging experiments. Efficient quantum algorithms have been invented, and in part implemented, and one of the first non-trivial applications will be the development of quantum simulators with potential applications in, for example, material sciences. On the technological side these developments are closely related to improving atomic clocks and frequency standards. Future advances in the field will require the combined effort of people with expertise in a broad range of research areas. At the same time, the new conceptual and technical tools developed within QIPC may prove fruitful in other fields, in a process of cross-fertilization encompassing a wide variety of disciplines (including, for instance, quantum statistics, quantum chaos, thermodynamics, neural networks, adaptive learning and feedback control, chemistry, quantum control, complex systems). This profoundly interdisciplinary character is one of the most exhilarating aspects of the field. Its potential is being recognized by commercial companies all over the world. A new profile of scientists and engineers is being trained to confront the challenges that lie beyond the end of the VLSI scaling. It is clear that advances in QIPC will become increasingly critical to the European competitiveness in information technology during the coming century.

Yet, at the moment most activities are focused on basic research in universities and there is very limited collaboration between QIPC scientists and industry. To maintain and develop competitiveness within this field in comparison to other research areas enhanced structuring and co-ordination of efforts on a European level are necessary. At the same time, a strong QIPC field ready for future industrial applications requires the involvement of relevant industry as well. In this sense an early dialogue needs to be established between science, policy, and industry in order to develop a common vision about the future of QIPC in Europe.

QIPC is definitely centered in the realm of basic research with its own distinct goals and applications in computation, communication and information processing in all its aspects. Furthermore QIPC research will have a deep impact on several EU strategic priorities. There is significant potential impact on technology, economics and social issues. In addition there are several spin-offs with applications in other fields of science, engineering and technology:

• The rapid growth of information technology has made our lives both more comfortable and more efficient. However, the increasing amount of traffic carried across networks has left us vulnerable. Cryptosystems are usually used to protect important data against unauthorized access. Security with today’s cryptography rests on computation complexity, which can be broken with enormous amounts of calculation. In contrast, quantum cryptography delivers secret crypto-keys whose privacy is guaranteed by the laws of Nature. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is already making its first steps outside laboratories both for fiber based networks and also for communication via satellites. However, significant more basic research is necessary to increase both the secret bit rate and the distance. This is the field of Quantum Communication.

• The development of quantum information theory together with the development of quantum hardware will have a significant impact on computer science. Quantum algorithms, as for example Shor’s algorithm for factorizing numbers with implications for security of classical crypto-protocols, indicate that quantum computers can perform tasks that classical computers are believed not to be able to do efficiently. A second example is provided by quantum simulations far beyond the reach of conventional computers with impact on various fields of physics, chemistry and material science. In addition, QIPC is redefining our understanding of how “physical systems compute”, emphasizing new computational models and architectures.

• QIPC is related to the development of nanotechnologies. Devices are getting smaller and quantum effects play an increasingly important role in their basic functioning, not only in the sense of placing fundamental limits, but also opening new avenues which have no counterpart in classical physics. At the same time development of quantum hardware builds also directly on nanotechnologies developed for our present day computing and communication devices, and provides new challenges for engineering and control of quantum mechanical systems far beyond what has been achieved today. An example is the integration of atom optical elements including miniaturized traps and guides on a single device, capable of working as a quantum gyroscope, with extremely large improvements in sensitivity both for measuring tiny deviations of the gravitational field, as well as for stabilizing air and space navigation. In spintronics, a new generation of semiconductor devices is being developed, operating on both charge and spin degrees of freedom together, with several advantages including non-volatility, increased data processing speed, decreased electric power consumption, and increased integration densities compared to conventional semiconductor devices.

• Quantum mechanics offers to overcome the sensitivity limits in various kinds of measurements, for example in ultra-high-precision spectroscopy with atoms, or in procedures such as positioning systems, ranging and clock synchronization via the use of frequency-entangled pulses. Entanglement of atoms can help to overcome the quantum limit of state-of-the-art atom clocks which has been already reached by leading European teams. On the other hand, the quantum regime is being entered also in the manipulation of nanomechanical devices like rods and cantilevers of nanometer size, currently under investigation as sensors for the detection of extremely small forces and displacements. Another example is the field of quantum imaging, where quantum entanglement is used to record, process and store information in the different points of an optical image. Furthermore, quantum techniques can be used to improve the sensitivity of measurements performed in images and to increase the optical resolution beyond the wavelength limit.