Recent advancements in basic and applied research in the field of Quantum Science and Technology (QST) have brought us to the brink of a Second Quantum Revolution, which holds the potential for major breakthroughs in the domains of computation, cryptography, communication, imaging, and more. In 2018, a 200M NIS project to advance academic research in QST was launched, which turned, in 2020, into a 1.25 Billion NIS National Quantum Science and Technology Initiative (INQI), jointly funded by the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education, the Ministries of Defense, Finance and Innovation-Science-and Technology, and the Israel Innovation Authority, following the recommendations of an independent committee set up by the NRI forum (National Research Infrastructures), comprising the aforementioned bodies.

The academic part of INQI, which is scheduled to run until the end of 2025, includes investments in the following: research centers and infrastructures at universities, start-up grants for newly-hired faculty, doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships, a competitive grant program operated by the Israel Science Foundation, and various projects to encourage international and industrial collaborations (e.g., quantum computing).

Links:

Report of the QST Steering Committee (2018)