OQI
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OQI and UNESCO celebrate the International Year of Quantum in Geneva

25th February 2025

Photo by Marc Bader

On 21st February 2025, over 100 individuals–including policymakers, diplomats, scientists and educators–gathered to celebrate the launch of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ) in Geneva, following the official Opening Ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris earlier this month. Co-organised by OQI and UNESCO, the celebration took place at the Geneva Conservatory of Music as one of the recognised global IYQ events in 2025. 

 

With performances from musicians of the Conservatoire intertwining science and culture, the event emphasised the societal impact of quantum technology development. Featuring a series of panel discussions, diplomats engaged in dialogue on the global societal impact on quantum science and technology, examining the challenges and opportunities presented by the technology on a national and international scale. A scientific panel addressed the current gaps in quantum education and explored strategies of how to enhance global learning opportunities.

“Through the inauguration of the IYQ in Geneva, UNESCO and the Open Quantum Institute reaffirmed our commitment to fostering multilateral cooperation, raising public awareness, and driving collective action toward ensuring that advancements in quantum technologies remain inclusive, secure, and beneficial to humanity,”
Enrica Porcari
Head of CERN IT

A call to action

During the event, OQI and UNESCO called upon all stakeholders—from member states, scientific institutions, academia, civil society, and many others—to actively collaborate in realising the potential of quantum science and technology to address global challenges, while upholding ethical and human rights principles. This call to action encourages everyone to engage in the International Year of Quantum and to advance the development of quantum technology for the benefit of humanity.

 

Throughout 2025, OQI will be organising key global initiatives—including regional events, hackathons and the Quantum Diplomacy Game across multiple continents. Find out more about our upcoming plans and how you can get involved. 

 

As an officially recognised global event of the IYQ, OQI and UNESCO would like to thank the support of all IYQ partners.

Photos by Marc Bader

2025 | Open Quantum Institute

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Join the Future of Quantum Computing!

Learn about engagement opportunities

OQI Partners are institutions that benefit from peer recognition for their scientific contributions or impact expertise.

Requirements:

  1. Either have served as OQI’s spearheading partners during its incubation phase or have consistently engaged resources to OQI’s work as OQI members for at least a year
  2. Commit to co-shape the OQI’s unique value propositions for the three years of the pilot throughout the 4A’s​
  3. Are vetted by the OQI Advisory Committee
  4. Abide to OQI’s values and openness principles

OQI Members are institutions that benefit from peer recognition for their scientific contributions or their impact expertise.

Requirements:

  1. Have disclosed their governance structure
  2. Commit to actively contribute on at least one of the 4A’s assiduously for at least one year​
  3. Have appointed at least one expert from their institution as focal point of contact for OQI and contributor to its working groups
  4. Abide to OQI’s values
  5. Have submitted a complete membership form with supporting documentation and are vetted by the OQI Management Team
  6. Qualify for partner level after having demonstrated their commitment for at least one year​

OQI Friends are individuals (such as experts from the private or public sector, countries, citizens) who are committed to open science, inclusivity and all values as set out in OQI’s charter and associate themselves with the OQI.

Friends socialise the OQI to their communities.

Downloadable PDF version of Charter

 

Description:

The Open Quantum Institute (OQI) is a multilateral governance initiative that promotes global and inclusive access to quantum computing and the development of applications for the benefit of humanity. As a novel science diplomacy instrument, it brings together research, diplomacy, private sector and philanthropy stakeholders. OQI is hosted by CERN during its pilot phase (2024-2026).

 

Mission:

• Accelerating applications for humanity: Realising the full potential of quantum computing to have the widest possible societal impact by accelerating the development of use cases geared towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and succeeding framework , thanks to the combined forces of researchers, developers and entrepreneurs from academia and private sector as well as the United Nations, and large NGOs
• Access for all: Providing global, inclusive and equitable access to a pool of public and private quantum computers and simulators available via the cloud
• Advancing capacity building: Developing educational tools to enable everyone around the world to contribute to the development of quantum computing and make the most of the technology
• Activating multilateral governance for the SDGs: Providing a neutral forum to help shape multilateral governance of quantum computing for the SDGs

 

Values:

• Inclusivity, global scope
  • Enable people from all countries, regardless of whether they have any quantum computing capability of their own, to benefit from and to participate in the development of (i) quantum computing applications that address global challenges, in particular those that are closely related to their own specific challenges, and (ii) the multilateral governance of quantum computing for the SDGs
• Openness
  • Share experiences, knowledge, and methods for the benefit of all, following Open Science best practice
  • Make openly available the results – outcomes of joint activities related to the OQI mission conducted by the OQI community – to society via open repositories and/or through the use of open licences
• Focus on impact
  • Ensure that applications are developed for their quantum computing potential to tackle real-world problems that will benefit humanity
  • Consider and balance their ethical, legal, and societal implications
• Independence
  • Enable everyone to participate free from individual, national, corporate or any other agendas
  • Develop applications with a technology neutral approach.
• Collaboration
  • Foster a community of diverse expertise, backgrounds and geographies, enabled by international cooperation and diplomacy

 

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