Exploring the shaping of quantum computing for the benefit of society at CESQ’s Industry Discovery Day

On 6th March, Tim Smith, Coordinator of the Open Quantum Institute (OQI), participated in the Industry Discovery Day at the European Centre for Quantum Sciences (CESQ).

Co-organised by QPerfect and the University of Strasbourg as part of CESQ’s Quantum Week 2025, the event brought together the quantum industry to highlight the transformative potential of the technology. Through expert talks, interactive sessions and networking opportunities, CESQ’s Industry Discovery Day aimed to help quantum companies better understand the power of quantum computing and its potential impact across various industries—with discussions focusing on the importance of making quantum resources inclusive and accessible.

Presenting how we can collectively shape quantum computing for society, Tim Smith emphasised the role of OQI as a novel science diplomacy initiative—showcasing how OQI is bringing together stakeholders from industry, academia, diplomacy, philanthropy and education, to drive the development of quantum computing applications for the benefit of all all.

During his presentation, key aspects of OQI’s work were explored—from its foundations in science diplomacy, to its progress in shaping the future global quantum landscape. OQI’s development of quantum computing use cases aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), capacity building initiatives and the promotion of multilateral governance for quantum computing were showcased—underscoring OQI’s commitment to ensuring the technology is developed collaboratively and equitably.

2025 | Open Quantum Institute

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

Requirements:

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
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Have disclosed their governance structure
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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