The proposed ERA-Pilot aims at structuring the rather young scientific area of Quantum Information Science and Technology” (QIST) within Europe.
Within the duration of the ERA-Pilot-Project we aim at developing a common European QIST-vision, we will draw a map of European activities and excellence, we will continue to structure the QIST-community, and we will establish an early dialogue between European scientists, policy, and industry. We will suggest measures for “structuring the structures” taking into account already existing clusters and networks and for creating local and thematic Centers of Excellence. Moreover we will develop proposals how the outcomes of the ERA-Pilot can be maintained in a sustainable way and how the success of the suggested measures can be evaluated.
Thus the ERA-Pilot QIST addresses European national policy and funding organisations as well as the European Commission. The ERA-Pilot QIST will support them by developing suggestions for measures that could be incorporated into their own plans for future funding policies and by fostering the QIST-community in Europe by supporting its structuring.
There has been a long-term commitment to QIST by the European Commission demonstrated by the expenditure of about 45 Million EURO in QIST-related basic research. Within future Framework Programmes basic research will gain a more important role. The ERA-Pilot QIST will prepare suggestions how QIST might look like within FP7 and subsequently FP8. These scenarios drawn on EC-level will influence national funding policy with an aim of fostering a sustainable QIST base in Europe – to achieve this the co-ordination of national activities is necessary.
The individual goals of the proposed ERA-Pilot are:
The ERA-Pilot QIST will play a major role within the process necessary to keep European QIST at the forefront, to utilise synergies, and to use European funding more efficiently.