OQI
OQI
OQI

Harnessing quantum for social good at 13th NYUAD Hackathon

1st May 2025

From 25-27 April 2025, the 13th annual NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Hackathon for Social Good brought together more than 200 students and 50 mentors from across the global to collaboratively explore how quantum computing can drive solutions for global challenges and accelerate progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Taking place during the 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), the hackathon showcased an opportunity to highlight the transformative potential of quantum technology. 

In the lead up to the hackathon, participants took part in a virtual training programme covering the fundamentals of quantum computing, delivered by experts from QWorld and NYUAD.  On completion of the pre-hackathon workshops, alongside being able to participate in the hackathon, students were also awarded a certification to add to their portfolio.

Over a busy three days, 17 teams of students worked together to develop ideas for how quantum computing could be harnessed to address real-world challenges–with ideas ranging from healthcare, climate action and sustainable energy. On 27th April, the hackathon drew to a close with the announcement of the winning team, MohituQ, made up of the following students:

  • Mariam Mahomed (Senior, University of Business and Technology, Saudi Arabia)
  • Abdelaziz Akeb (École Nationale supérieure d’Informatique Alger, ESI, Algeria)
  • Sara Ahmed (Student, American University of Sharjah, UAE)
  • Daniel Fortunato (PhD, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto (FEUP), Portugal)

MohituQ aims to tackle the logistical challenges associated with placing nets to collect ocean waste. Their project explores how to optimise the placement of waste barriers using decoded quantum interferometry—a quantum algorithm that can make precise measurements using quantum particles—to model ocean waste circuits and identify intersection points to more efficiently place nets and collect waste. 

Members of the winning team will receive an invitation to interview for a six-month paid fellowship at Womanium Quantum Solutions Launchpad (QSL), a scholarship to participate in the 2025 Womanium Quantum Programme, and will also receive the SC Quantum Award.

The hackathon’s closing ceremony featured insightful keynotes from leaders across the global quantum ecosystem, including representation from OQI and members within our community. A panel discussion explored the current landscape of quantum innovation—addressing the opportunities and challenges of the future technology. 

In addition to supporting the hackathon, OQI also welcomed the hosts of other OQI-supported hackathons to NYUAD to share the experience of OQI’s training programme, which focuses on advancing capacity building.

OQI looks forward to collaborating with NYUAD to continue fostering international cooperation and innovation in quantum computing towards tackling real-world challenges and continue working towards a future where quantum computing is inclusive and beneficial for all.

2025 | Open Quantum Institute

Privacy Policy

For media inquiries and access to our branding guidelines, please contact us.

I'm subtitle

Hello World

I'm subtitle

Hello World

Title *
Name: *
Surname *
Country *
Organization
Email *
Engagement Type *
How would you contribute to OQI? *

Share your case study

Project Name *
Project Link *
Owner *
Contributors *
Project Image
Maximum file size: 2 MB
Status *
Short Description *
Full Description *
Select SDGs *

Share your educational resource

Resource Title *
Resource Owner *
Resource Link *
Resource Region *
Resource origin
Level *
Resource Price *
Provided by
Resource Image
Maximum file size: 2 MB
Resource Audience *
Resource Type *
Resource Theme *
Short Description *

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

 

Please fill in your application request

Title *
Name: *
Surname *
Country *
Organization
Email *
Engagement Type *
How would you contribute to OQI? *