The proposal targets the creation of the National Quantum Science and Technology Institute (NQSTI), a consortium that:
(i) will team up Italian entities carrying out competitive and innovative research in the field of quantum science and technology (QST) and
(ii) will stimulate future industrial innovation in this field, providing a forum in which novel ideas and opportunities are transferred to companies.
In order to ensure a long-term positive effect on the Italian economic growth and development, the whole innovation chain was considered: from the strengthening and coordination of the low-TRL research, to its translation into prototypes, favoring interfacing with industrial needs thanks to strong outreach and continued-education programs. Importantly, the creation and incubation of spin-offs and start-ups that can move research outcomes up in the TRL-ranking are included in the proposal scope with significant resources and a special focus onto the southern regions.
The starting point for the elaboration of this proposal was the creation of a group of 23 experts from Academia and Research institutions in the fall of 2021, following the publication of the government guidelines. These experts shared an analysis of the QST know-how available in the country, of the obstacles to its full valorization and translation into economic growth and sustainable development, and a vision of the main directions capable of bringing the radical innovation requested by the guidelines.
The vision of the project is that the extraordinary PNRR funding can of course be used to update technical facilities and strengthen the QST community in the next few years, but even more importantly it must be used to drive this community into an ordinary and sustainable condition of increased impact, visibility, and capacity to modernize and support the competitiveness of the Italian economy.

Announcement

PNRR “Extended Partnership 4”, M4C2 (Mission 4, Component 2 “From research to business”, Investment 1.3 funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU).

Application area: Quantum Science and Technology

Start date: 1 December 2022

End date: 30 November 2025

Project website: https://nqsti.it/