A research consortium that includes Maynooth University has been awarded €7.3 million under the Government’s Disruptive Technologies Innovative Fund. Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD, together with Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty TD, announced 16 successful innovative projects awarded a total €65 million under the second round of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund. The fund is administered by Enterprise Ireland.

Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund

Maynooth University is participating in a €7.3 million project, Quantum Computing in Ireland: A Software Platform for Multiple Qubit Technologies, which explores their potential to address challenging problems arising in areas such as financial services, logistics or drug discovery.

Dr Jiri Vala in the Department of Theoretical Physics will lead the project at Maynooth University, which represents the first large scale collaboration on quantum computing in Ireland. The consortium is comprised of IBM Ireland Ltd, MasterCard Ireland, Rockley Photonics and Equal 1 Laboratories, Maynooth University, the Tyndall National Institute (Cork) and University College Dublin. The budget allocation to Maynooth University is €600,000. The project is to start in 2020 and is for the duration of three years.

Dr Vala said: “This is the beginning of very exciting times for quantum computing in Ireland and also an important milestone for quantum computing research at the Department of Theoretical Physics at Maynooth University.”

Read more over at MaynoothUniversity.ie.