Thank you.
Thank you for inviting me to appear before the parliamentary committee today.
Quantum computing and, more generally, the applications of quantum science are extremely important for Canada’s economic prosperity into the near and far future. We have a strong position globally in these areas, but countries around the world are investing significantly in quantum research. This should be a strong signal for the Government of Canada about the potential impact on both our immediate and future economic growth and prosperity.
I have three requests for the committee to consider. First, continue to invest in the quantum Canada strategy currently being implemented by ISED. We need to support talent development, particularly at the graduate student level, and talent attraction. Otherwise, we will weaken our competitive position. Countries around the world are investing billions of dollars, if not trillions of dollars, in quantum science and initiatives. Historically, Canada has invested, but these investments have been piecemeal and somewhat ad hoc. The quantum Canada strategy is a vehicle to support a national investment in a more coordinated fashion.
My second request is to support initiatives across the country rather than simply all in a particular geographical region. The reasons are simple. For Canada’s diverse regions to benefit, industrial sectors need applications. These are often best developed through industry-university collaborations that are often local in character, reflecting the needs of industry. We need to think about how regions can contribute quantum applications for various industrial sectors, such as energy, agriculture, transportation and logistics. As a country where 70% of business is small and medium enterprises, or SMEs, local collaborations matter. Universities serve as hubs to build industries in quantum science, providing access to machines and talent, and then universities collaborate with each other across the country to create an ecosystem.
My third request is don’t boil the ocean. Competition is international. Identify those areas where we have a competitive advantage and build on those—areas such as quantum information storage, quantum security and information transfer, and of course quantum computing.
The University of Calgary is proud to be a major contributor to the quantum ecosystem. We have tremendous expertise in the area of quantum cybersecurity, building the next generation of the quantum Internet using secure information transfer. We have expertise in quantum information storage, and are building a major industry-facing laboratory for prototyping and manufacturing. Finally, we have expertise in quantum computing algorithms and applications.
The University of Calgary is creating a major vision for activating Calgary as a quantum city. We have attracted Mphasis, one of the world’s largest computer supply companies, to establish their national headquarters here in Calgary, bringing 1,000 employees and partnering with the University of Calgary on developing quantum applications in a variety of areas, including health, finance and commerce, energy, agriculture, and transportation and logistics.
The University of Calgary is also a major collaborator with other regions where critical masses of researchers exist. Please exclude the pun, but our scholars in quantum research are entangled across the country. The University of Calgary has major collaborations with the Université de Sherbrooke and the University of Waterloo, among many.
Finally, I must point out a source of pride for our university. This year the University of Calgary has been recognized as being in the top five for research universities across the country. We have joined the ranks of the University of Toronto, McGill, UBC and Université de Montréal, based on our external research revenue of $504 million. We are the youngest university to achieve this recognition as part of the U15. We were also named as number one in the country in terms of new start-up company creation, surpassing the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo. These are all audited quantitative results that are based on data, not subjective interpretation.
Thank you for your attention.
Please feel free to ask any questions you have in French. I would be happy to answer them.