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- Februar 2, 2023
Successful start of the German-Israeli Quantum Future Academy 2023
The Future Quantum Academy 2023 was organized for the first time as a bi-national event. To promote friendship and scientific exchange between Germany and Israel, 30 students from both countries met in Israel from 19th – 24th February for the first part of this year’s academy.
With diverse applications in logistics, climate research or medicine, quantum technologies are among the most promising key technologies of the future. However, since their development occurs primarily at the interface of physics, computer science and engineering, there is a shortage of highly qualified, interdisciplinary specialists. This is where the Quantum Future Academy (QFA) of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) comes in, offering selected students from the STEM sector exclusive insights into the world of applied quantum technologies. What is special about this year’s academy is that it was planned and implemented jointly by the BMBF and the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) as well as the German Embassy Tel Aviv. This is because international, scientific exchange is also an important criterion for the successful advancement of quantum technologies.
Successful start in Tel Aviv
The academy program started on Sunday with a welcome event, where Chief Scientist Prof. Avi Domb from MoST and Dr. Eric Zimmerman from the German Israeli Foundation (GIF) welcomed the participants. Then things got interactive for the 30 Academy participants right away: in groups, they were each assigned a technological approach to quantum computing. Their task for the entire week was to explore the fundamentals, potentials and limitations of their technology and to prepare it in such a way that they could present it at the end of the week.
Guest at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
On Monday morning, the group traveled to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI). After various lectures, the students were able to visit laboratories of quantum optics and quantum sensing. Lab directors and student collaborators reported on their experiments and then invited academy participants to talk with them about their work over pizza. The day concluded with an informative city tour of Jerusalem.
Weizmann Institute and Quantum Source Invite Students to Lectures and Lab Tours
Tuesday morning took the students to the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot. There, the day started with interesting lectures on quantum computing, quantum cryptography and quantum sensing. In the afternoon, the students visited the startup Quantum Source, which specializes in photonic quantum computing. In addition to technical lectures and discussion sessions, the students also had the opportunity to visit the laboratories of the young company. The day ended with a city tour of Jaffa, a port district of Tel Aviv steeped in history.
Wednesday in Haifa
The participants spent Wednesday in Haifa, where the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology is located. Here, too, exciting lectures and various laboratory tours on a wide range of quantum technology applications filled the morning. In the afternoon, the Haifa-based IBM Research Center invited the students to visit. Here, the students could not only look forward to lectures on quantum algorithms but also had the unique opportunity to ask the employees questions about their daily work at IBM.
Farewell on Thursday
Thursday heralded the end of the Academy program with in-depth lectures, discussions and lab tours at Bar Ilan University (BIU) in Tel Aviv.
At the end, the students presented their presentations from the group work. The presentation approaches were all very creative: from trapped ions drawn by their own hands to a self-written song about superconducting qubits, everything was included. The prize – a book on quantum computing and quantum information – went to the Neutral Atoms group. They were able to communicate the basics of their technology in an understandable way and successfully defend it against other technologies.
The first part of the academy week finally ended in Tel Aviv with a last dinner together. The week not only left behind exciting insights, but also whetted the appetite for more. Everyone is already looking forward to the second part of the academy, which will take place in Munich in September.
Copyright Text in German : VDI TZ / Nina Pawlik: Start der Deutsch-Israelischen Quantum Futur Akademie 2023 – Quantentechnologien
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