An overview of national strategies and policies for quantum technologies

Title page 1

Contents 7

Disclaimers 2

Abstract 3

Acknowledgements 4

Executive summary 5

1. National quantum strategies: From vision to implementation 9

1.1. From developing a vision to setting concrete objectives 9

1.1.1. National strategies' framing: Economic imperatives and national security considerations 9

1.2. Process for developing strategies: Strategic intelligence, public consultation and development of roadmaps 12

1.3. Governance of strategies: Involvement of stakeholders, interministerial alignment and mission‑oriented innovation policies 14

1.3.1. Strategies help the coordination and amplification of quantum initiatives 16

1.4. Monitoring progress in quantum strategies: Key performance indicators 18

1.5. The international dimension: Collaboration, standardisation and safeguard measures 18

1.5.1. The growing incidence of measures to protect quantum technologies 20

1.5.2. Bilateral collaboration 20

1.5.3. Standardisation 21

1.5.4. Risks of a fragmented technology landscape 22

2. Policy instruments supporting the development and uptake of quantum technologies 23

2.1. Institutional funding for public research 23

2.1.1. Addressing fundamental challenges in science and engineering 23

2.1.2. Supporting the commercialisation of quantum technologies 25

2.1.3. Skills and talent development 30

2.2. Project grants for public research 32

2.3. Grants for business research and development (R&D) 35

2.4. Public procurement 36

2.5. Equity financing 37

References 39

Notes 42

Tables 8

Table 1. Stakeholders' involvement in quantum strategy development, selected countries 13

Table 2. Examples of governmental exercises informing quantum technology strategies 14

Table 3. Examples of common objectives in quantum roadmaps 15

Table 4. Stakeholders of international quantum technology standardisation 22

Table 5. Main policy instruments supporting the development and use of quantum technologies 24

Figures 7

Figure 1. The timeline of national and supranational quantum strategies 10

Figure 2. Positioning of executive authorities governing quantum strategies in selected countries 15

Figure 3. Estimated annual quantum R&D funding in the OECD Fundstat database, 2015‑23 17

Figure 4. Top countries with quantum‑related publications and their international scientific collaboration intensity, based on fractional counts, 2023 19

Figure 5. International collaboration intensity for publications in quantum, physical sciences and all fields, based on fractional counts, 2008‑2022 20

Figure 6. A representation of over 20 bilateral agreements related to quantum science and technology 21

Boxes 8

Box 1. Potential benefits and risks of quantum technologies 11

Box 2. The Covid‑19 crisis led to European Union funding allocations for quantum technologies 12

Box 3. What is quantum key distribution? 29

Box 4. What are noisy intermediate‑scale quantum computers (NISQs)? 34