New funding has been dedicated to quantum research, education, and technology development in Finland. The Research Council of Finland on January 11 awarded the significant amount of €13 million to the newly launched Finnish Quantum Flagship (FQF) project.
The Finnish Quantum Flagship project is a consortium of leading Finnish institutions, including Aalto University (coordinator), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the University of Helsinki, the University of Jyväskylä, Tampere University, the University of Oulu, and CSC-IT Centre for Science. This collaborative effort aims to propel Finland to the forefront of quantum research, education, and technological development.
Advancement of the Finnish quantum ecosystem
“With funding in hand, FQF is now armed with the necessary resources to broaden interdisciplinary quantum expertise and translate it beyond the scientific community. This is important. Finland is one of the known forerunners in quantum technologies, and our national collaboration is flexible. Although global competition is getting fierce, the spirit of collaboration among Finnish universities, research institutions, government agencies, and industrial partners is what sets us apart from other countries. The launching of this flagship will serve as a catalyst in bolstering Finland’s excellency in education, research, and industrial development in quantum technologies,” says FQF Director Peter Liljeroth, professor of physics at Aalto University.
The flagship’s timeline is planned for 2024-2031 and represents a multifaceted advancement of the Finnish quantum ecosystem. Other than sponsoring cross-collaboration between the dozens of research groups in FQF, the newly awarded funds will be used to attract, train, and retain international talent – a persistent problem of the field and a key focus area of FQF. The funds will also be used to initiate new research activities and industrial endeavours, as well as to raise awareness of quantum technology in Finnish society via open-access educational programmes and trainings.
Nordic collaboration
While codifying a quantum-ready Finland is at the forefront of FQF objectives, establishing networks between other Nordic states is also top-of-mind. FQF members are performing an ongoing landscape analysis with their counterparts from Sweden, Denmark, and Norway as part of the Nordic Quantum international collaborative. This group aims to identify fruitful areas of collaboration in quantum technology research and development between the Nordic states.
Photo: Mikko Raskinen/Aalto University
