EQUS Laboratories Launch

This month we marked a significant milestone: the official opening of two new state-of-the-art quantum labs at The University of Queensland—the Superconducting Quantum Devices Laboratory, led by Chief Investigator A/Prof. Arkady Fedorov, and the Bose–Einstein Condensate Laboratory, led by Chief Investigator Prof. Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop AO and Assosciate Investigator Dr Tyler Neely.

There is a strong momentum in the quantum technology space, and the tremendous interest in the opening event was very exciting.  We were joined by the Hon. Ed Husic MP, Federal Minister for Industry and Science, the Hon. Meaghan Scanlon MP, State Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef and Minister for Science and Youth Affairs, Dr Richard Johnson, Deputy CEO for the Australian Research Council, and Prof. Bronwyn Harch, interim Queensland Chief Scientist.

Dr Tyler Neely, Hon. Ed Husic MP, Prof Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop AO, Hon. Meaghan Scanlon MP, Prof. Andrew White, Prof. Deborah Terry AO, Prof. Bronwyn Harch and A/Prof. Arkady Fedorov.

Prof. Joseph Grotowski, Head of School, UQ School of Mathematics and Physics, welcomed our guests and touched on the challenges faced during the construction phase, where we were hit with extreme weather events and supply issues due to the war in Ukraine and the Covid pandemic.  Despite these challenges, the many teams involved in the project did an outstanding job in bringing these lab facilities to life.

UQ’s Vice-Chancellor and President Prof. Deborah Terry acknowledged the many Australian pioneers in quantum technology who have emerged from the School of Mathematics and Physics and our Centre, laying the foundations for our current position.  She commended the great spirit of collaboration and how our researchers are not only developing the next wave of quantum technology but also heavily involved with commercialisation and translating research into practical devices across areas as diverse as medicine, agriculture, aerospace, defence, mining and resources, and advanced manufacturing.

“There is an immense economic opportunity at our fingertips—for our state, and for the nation.  Analysts estimate that a thriving quantum industry here in Australia could be worth in excess of $1 trillion over the coming decades.  And recent data shows that we’re already punching above our weight, with the Australian quantum industry attracting 3.6% of all global venture capital investment in the quantum industry—a figure that is well in excess of Australia’s global GDP share.”
—Prof. Deborah Terry

Dr Richard Johnson recognised EQUS for the role we are playing in training the next generation of quantum physicists, with close to 200 researchers and HDR students expected to have worked within and contributed to the Centre’s legacy.  The Government’s investment in EQUS through the ARC, of nearly $32 million over 7 years, has generated a strong international collaboration that has enabled an accelerated growth of Australia’s research capabilities in this field.

Hon. Meaghan Scanlon MP, A/Prof. Arkady Fedorov, Hon. Ed Husic MP and Prof. Tom Stace.

Minister Husic compared the development of quantum technology with AI in its enormous potential to change the world.  The foundational work is critical, and he believes EQUS to be at the forefront of delivering world-class quantum results.  This is a priority for the Australian Government, and the minister took the opportunity to announce a total of $4.6 million in Australian Government grants to boost education and collaboration in the nation’s quantum sector.

“We want to see everything you are doing in quantum technology, including computing, sensing communication, cryptography, etc., scaled up.  We should have the ambition, and the National Quantum Strategy is designed as a long-term framework for how we proceed.”
—Minister Husic

Hon. Ed Husic MP taking a tour of the facilities.

Minister Scanlon also acknowledged the importance of young researchers and their opportunities to have access to the state-of-the art equipment of our labs and the know-how at the universities to tackle the global challenges.  She also commended the longstanding and successful partnership that has existed between the Queensland Government and The University of Queensland.

EQUS Director Prof. Andrew White thanked the Faculty of Science at UQ, the Centre’s partner universities, industry, and our state and federal governments for their support and dedication to realising this significant infrastructure project. A ndrew noted that there have been so many achievements and highlights over the past five years he has been Director, including research discoveries, research translation and commercial spin-outs, public outreach and engagement activities, and diversity initiatives.  The thing he is most proud of, that is of greatest value, are the people who make up EQUS.

Left, Prof. Joseph Grotowski; right, Prof. Andrew White.

The day’s formalities concluded with Dr Tyler Neely and A/Prof. Arkady Fedorov.  Tyler explained how the labs enable expanded research programs and help us pursue and access new research directions and applications.  With a bigger educational space, we can now increase the training opportunities for the next generations of quantum scientists in Queensland and more broadly in Australia and internationally.  Arkady explained the enjoyment and satisfaction in helping design these purpose-built labs, tackling the sound and space challenges, to create a more functional and comfortable work environment.

And then it was time to get technical with Tyler and Arkady leading the lab tours!

Overall, we had a fantastic EQUS lab opening, and it was exciting to see how our facilities and research have such an important impact beyond the quantum world.