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OQI celebrates the launch of the International Year of Quantum

5th February 2025

The International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ) was officially launched on 4-5 February, marking a pivotal moment for the global quantum community.

Held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the launch gathered leading scientists, policymakers, diplomats, industry and education leaders to celebrate the progress of quantum technology and discuss its future opportunities and challenges. The OQI team and our wider community played an active role in the launch event, partnering with the IYQ and aligning strongly with its mission.  Through engaging with key stakeholders and participating in panel discussions–from ethics to responsible quantum innovation–OQI’s involvement showcases our work towards advancing quantum computing applications for real-world impact and building capacity to ensure the inclusive development of the technology. 

During the event’s opening remarks, H.E. Ambassador Simona-Mirela Miculescu highlighted CERN’s history and position in science diplomacy and international cooperation, followed by Professor Ana Maria Cetto emphasising OQI’s work towards promoting global and inclusive access to quantum computing.

 

Key messages from the IYQ Opening Ceremony

Over two days of dynamic discussions and exchanging ideas, several key insights were shared— shaping the path for the future of quantum technology.

  • Necessity for global collaboration – Panel discussions reinforced the importance of fostering international partnerships in advancing quantum technology. From calls to standardise efforts to cross-border research collaborations, the need for a unified approach was a recurring theme.
  • Education and advancing capacity building – Many conversations focused on how we can inspire the next generation and ensure quantum technology is accessible, understandable and inclusive for a diverse global audience.
  • Strengthening science diplomacy and multilateral governance – Discussions emphasised the need for a forward-thinking approach, highlighting the importance of science diplomacy in shaping multilateral governance frameworks–something we are demonstrating through our multistakeholder collaborations. 
  • Ethical consideration in quantum development – Participants reinforced the need for developing a human rights-based framework to provide the ethical guardrails for developing quantum technology, aligning with accelerating the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Looking ahead to bridge the quantum divide

As the Opening Ceremony concluded, an insightful panel discussion featuring members of OQI’s community highlighted our work towards bridging the quantum divide. Moderated by Diederick Croese (Director of the Centre for Quantum and Society, Quantum Delta NL and OQI Advisory Committee member), panelists included fellow Committee members Mira Wolf-Bauwens (Responsible Quantum Computing Lead, IBM) and Prince Osei (Acting President, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS)), who reinforced the importance of establishing inclusive dialogue and engaging with quantum underserved regions in ensuring the technology is developed equitably.

“OQI is doing something that no one else has done yet,” explains Mira Wolf-Bauwens, “We are developing an initiative driving global access to quantum computing resources, fostering international collaborations and pragmatically working towards bridging the quantum divide.”

The IYQ launch in Paris was a testament to the global momentum behind quantum science and technology. OQI remains dedicated to driving meaningful advancements in the field by fostering collaboration, promoting capacity building, and advocating for the development of governance frameworks around the emerging technology. Throughout the IYQ efforts in 2025, we look forward to further engaging with the global community in shaping the future of quantum technology for the benefit of all.

On 21 February 2025, UNESCO and OQI will celebrate the Inauguration of the IYQ in Geneva–continuing with the shared mission of engaging the diplomatic and international community throughout the IYQ and beyond. 

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:

  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
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Requirements:

  1. 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

 

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