OQI showcases quantum innovation during CERN Alumni anniversary broadcast

Yesterday, the CERN Alumni Network celebrated its 8th anniversary with a live broadcast exploring the theme of quantum. Guests reflected on how their time at CERN influenced their journey within the quantum field – with a few familiar faces from OQI!

Enrica Porcari, Head of CERN IT and Strategic Advisor to OQI, explored how the core values embedded in CERN’s DNA – openness, inclusion and collaboration – are being reflected in the work of the CERN Quantum Technology Initiative and OQI.

Enrica highlighted several pillars of our work at OQI, including:

Promoting international collaboration through our global multistakeholder community.

Driving the development of quantum computing applications to accelerate the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including clean water, sustainable energy, health and climate action.

Expanding global capacity through activities such as OQI hackathons, the Quantum Diplomacy Game and educational materials, to ensure that education and opportunities in quantum computing are accessible to all, not just a few.

“What really makes the OQI unique is its commitment to open, inclusive access—bringing quantum capabilities to those who might not otherwise have them. It’s about using cutting-edge science to drive global impact in a fair and meaningful way.”

Enrica Porcari

Head of CERN IT and OQI Strategic Advisor

Also representing OQI during the live session was Paweł Gora, CERN alumnus and active member of the OQI community! Paweł reflected on his involvement in OQI’s efforts to address real-world challenges through quantum computing and emphasised the importance of international collaboration in driving the inclusive development of emerging technologies such as quantum.

Watch the full broadcast on LinkedIn.

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I abide to OQIs values and openness principles.

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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
Commit to co-shape the OQI’s unique value propositions for the three years of the pilot throughout the 4A’s
Are vetted by the OQI Advisory Committee
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:

Have disclosed their governance structure
Commit to actively contribute on at least one of the 4A’s assiduously for at least one year
Have appointed at least one expert from their institution as focal point of contact for OQI and contributor to its working groups
Abide to OQI’s values
Have submitted a complete membership form with supporting documentation and are vetted by the OQI Management Team
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