The National Strategy for the Acceleration of Quantum Technologies, announced by the President of the Republic on 21 January 2021, aims to guide the State’s choices for the next five years according to the following six priorities:
- Scalable quantum computers;
- Quantum simulators and accelerators;
- Quantum sensors enabling measurement accuracies several orders of magnitude better than classical sensors to be achieved;
- Post-quantum cryptography to secure data exchanges in the quantum computer era;
- Quantum communications allowing the distribution of quantum states between sensors and quantum computers to increase their capacities;
- Enabling technologies that are essential for quantum technologies as well as for other sectors: cryogenics, low-noise electronics, wiring, etc.
The ambition of the national strategy is expressed in two distinct timeframes with regard to quantum computing. In the long term, the prospect of achieving scalable universal quantum computer holds out the hope of major breakthroughs in strategic sectors such as health, the fight against global warming, food, pharmaceuticals, energy, defence and artifical intelligence.
In the short term, although there are indications of a number of promising applications for NISQ simulators and noisy quantum computers that are beginning to emerge, it is not clear how much disruption will occur or which areas will be affected first. However, even these noisy machines may bring about radical changes in several sectors within a few years at most.
The “Quantum” Priority Research Programme and Equipment (PEPR) is intended to support upstream R&D activities (TRL between 1 and 4) at the highest world level, in support of the industry and in response to the priorities defined in the national strategy. Integrated projects have already been identified and constructed in the framework document submitted to the State in March 2021, and are currently being launched.
In addition to these integrated projects, the PEPR Quantique is launching a first Call for Projects in two phases, focusing on the themes of quantum computing with flying qubits, with the objective of specifically financing the fields of photonics and electronics, complementary to those based on solid state or cold atom qubits.
For more information please visit the ANR website.
Submission deadline: 29.03.2022 at 11 a.m. CEST
