Engagement paper: Developing a National Quantum Strategy

Introduction

In Budget 2021, the Government of Canada committed to helping innovators turn Canadian research, talent and discoveries into new products, services and companies in areas where Canada is a global leader, such as quantum.

Canada's quantum ecosystem has world-class centres of expertise in universities across the country, companies that have pioneered world firsts, and growing private sector investment. Alongside recognized research strengths, Canada also has capabilities in its domestic industry and talent. Canada is well-positioned on the world stage, yet persistent efforts are required to sustain and grow this competitive advantage and build the necessary talent supply. 

Quantum has been identified as a key sector that can fuel Canada's economy, long-term resilience and growth, especially as technologies mature and more sectors harness its capabilities. As economic opportunities increase, it is crucial to build and strengthen the Canadian innovation pipeline to maximize return and benefits for Canadians.

Developing a National Quantum Strategy

Budget 2021 proposes $360 million in investments over seven years to launch a National Quantum Strategy. The strategy will amplify Canada's significant strength in quantum research; grow our quantum-ready technologies, companies and talent; and solidify Canada's global leadership in this area. A secretariat at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) will coordinate the strategy.

At ISED, our current understanding of quantum challenges and opportunities is based on regular engagement with members of the quantum community, including a university-private sector quantum consortium, which proposed a national quantum strategy in fall 2019. The consortium's proposal recommended supporting a strategy through existing federal programs, university-based research and education, the commercial sector, skills and talent, as well as federal government research, procurement and operations. It also proposed greater coordination of Canada's involvement in the international arena and a more active role in international standardization. To provide strategic direction, the consortium advocated for the formation of a quantum advisory board.

As well, the Chief Science Advisor of Canada has hosted roundtables and engaged with domestic and international stakeholders. We are grateful for all insights offered by the consortium and other stakeholders, and note the following key observations:

  • Canada has a number of strengths in different fields of quantum science and commercial applications, clustered geographically, with some distributed at the local, regional or provincial level.
  • Taking the research enterprise and the commercial sector to scale requires national coordination and mobilization.
  • Investments should support research, commercialization and talent.
  • Access to capital and talent, with the appropriate skills to support commercialization of quantum innovations, remains challenging.
  • Concern is rising over intellectual property protection and foreign direct investment.
  • Long research, development and commercialization cycles make it difficult to sustain long-term investment.
  • Canada's small market size makes it challenging to support long-term growth without a strong export strategy. 
  • Diversity and inclusiveness of quantum businesses is challenging given the current talent pool and pipeline.
  • Canada's participation in the development of common international quantum standards is important to support the country's long-term competitiveness.

Working together strategically and nationally requires discussions to determine the best way to integrate and leverage Canada's current regional strengths and opportunities. To further a goal-oriented National Quantum Strategy, we also need to improve coordination, increase collaboration and ensure that federal investments optimally reinforce our research, commercialization and talent activities.

ISED officials would like to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing firms, institutions and organizations in the quantum sector, guided by the questions that follow (also in Appendix A). Ultimately, the feedback received will help to inform a National Quantum Strategy that aims to achieve the overarching goals announced in federal Budget 2021. In the interim, we will produce a summary of the input received through this consultation process. We thank you in advance for your important contribution.

Building on Canadian strengths – from research to commercialization

Investment in basic research has yielded scientific discoveries and commercial strengths in Canada. While there are many ways to categorize this new suite of technologies, they typically fall into the following main applications: sensing and imaging; computing hardware; algorithms; communications; and materials.

Budget 2021 proposes strategic investments in emerging technologies, including quantum technologies. While quantum science has matured to the point where Canada can now focus on mission-driven objectives, the field continues to evolve. As such, it may be prudent and most beneficial to focus where we can be a world leader and concurrently, maintain expertise focused on quantum's long-term evolution.

  1. Which applications and research areas offer the greatest potential for Canadian researchers and firms to strengthen their leadership to succeed globally? What stretch goals and priorities can be set for these applications in the next three years and beyond to make a roadmap for a leap forward?

Partnership approach

Engagement with academics, commercial firms and other levels of government has made it clear that, to form a dynamic domestic private sector for quantum technologies, we must coordinate and mobilize the results of Canada's scientific excellence. This will require all sectors – academia, industry and government – to collaborate as they execute their respective multi-dimensional roles. For example:

  • academia develops talent, supports large-scale applied research and development projects, strengthens other areas such as managerial skills and product management, and continues to push the boundaries of knowledge;
  • the private sector brings new technologies to market by scaling-up firms to create quantum technology-based products and services, makes the proper connections to integrate into global supply chains as they emerge, and exports quantum technology-based products and services;
  • the government funds and de-risks emerging technologies, convenes and coordinates, procures services during the product-development process, and serves as a research partner (e.g. through the National Research Council of Canada, Defence Research and Development Canada, Canadian Space Agency); and
  • all three sectors, and potentially other partners, have a role in ensuring the security of quantum technologies developed and used by Canadians.
  1. How can academia, industry and government work better individually and collectively to accomplish national objectives in quantum technologies?

Talent

The development and successful implementation of the National Quantum Strategy requires a better understanding of the best ways to develop, attract and retain highly qualified personnel (HQP) and to support greater diversity and inclusiveness in Canada's quantum ecosystem. While Canada produces a relatively large number of quantum HQP, it is insufficient to meet our needs. The problem is compounded as Canadian HQP are often attracted to other countries seeking their expertise, given the limited international talent pool in quantum.

  1. What are the key challenges and opportunities for academia and industry in the development, attraction and retention of talent?

Equity, diversity and inclusion

As the university-private sector quantum consortium has pointed out, to reach its full potential, the Canadian quantum sector must draw on a more diverse pool of people from within Canada and around the world. Budget 2021 committed to considering equity, diversity and inclusion in the development and implementation of the National Quantum Strategy.

  1. What can be done to ensure that, as Canada's quantum sector grows, it is increasingly representative of our diversity?

Domestic commercialization

Earlier conversations with the quantum community have suggested that growing the commercial sector will require scaling-up existing firms. This challenge is complicated by the long development times of quantum technologies. Some firms have difficulty sustaining research until their technologies mature, which suggests that longer incubation periods would benefit the quantum sector. Access to capital is also challenging, particularly as resources have been focussed on the COVID-19 pandemic.

  1. What are the greatest opportunities and challenges in commercializing quantum innovations in the Canadian context? Do different quantum technologies (e.g. sensing and imaging, computing hardware, algorithms, communications, and materials) require specific approaches?

Adoption

Canada is an early leader in quantum research, and we are still in the early stages of realizing its economic potential. Given the expected disruptive nature of quantum technologies, promoting their adoption is key to preparedness and success.

  1. How can the National Quantum Strategy help to ensure that, as quantum technologies and solutions come to fruition, they are adopted by Canadian businesses, academia, government and the public?

We must further develop receptor capacity. Key to reaching this goal is being clear about quantum technologies' disruptive capabilities, both positive and negative. As an enabling platform, quantum technologies are expected to accelerate the design of drugs and the development of medical diagnostic devices, improve navigation and climate forecasting, and enable more sophisticated defences against cyber attacks. However, technologies could also represent a risk to our digital economy and national security, such as the potential for quantum computing to bypass current encryption standards.

  1. How can the National Quantum Strategy best address the societal, ethical, legal and policy considerations that may arise given quantum technologies' disruptive capability?

International

On all fronts – research, commercialization, talent and security – the international context for collaboration and competition will shape the strategy. Other countries have strategies or policies with funding to grow their own quantum sectors. However, no single country has all of the necessary elements to dominate the field, and other countries want to work with Canada to advance their interests.

  1. How can we leverage and mobilize Canada's research and business strengths to connect with international partners? How do we ensure we derive maximum benefit from these collaborations?

Security

The field of quantum is rapidly evolving, and future opportunities or challenges may not yet be known. We do know that the advent of certain technologies may pose economic and security risks. Canada needs to keep pace with technological disruptions and emerging security risks to protect privacy and critical information and communications technology systems. Canada has strong expertise in technologies that enhance cyber security against these risks, and we can be a leader in the advancement of quantum readiness and agility, nationally and internationally.

  1. How should the National Quantum Strategy address emerging security risks and build on Canada's expertise to create commercialization opportunities?

Gaps and challenges

Successfully growing Canada's quantum sector requires developing a technology roadmap to help manage innovation, identifying milestones, and focusing federal programming accordingly. Along with gaining insight into quantum applications in which Canada excels and which present opportunities, we want to better understand any gaps that we need to bridge and challenges that we need to overcome.

  1. What specific gaps, barriers and challenges hinder our efforts to solidify Canada as a global leader in quantum technologies?

Expert advice

In addition to holding roundtable discussions on the National Quantum Strategy, we are considering the formation of an advisory body to further inform the development and implementation of the strategy.

  1. What best practices have you seen in Canada and/or abroad that we should consider when forming an advisory body?

Conclusion

Canada's quantum sector is complex, with many synergistic parts. Determining the full suite of considerations to develop the National Quantum Strategy requires that we understand the hurdles or barriers, elements of success, and potential opportunities in the quantum sector.

  1. Are there any considerations that we have missed, questions we should ask or elements we should explore further?

Appendix A: Questions

  1. Which applications and research areas offer the greatest potential for Canadian researchers and firms to strengthen their leadership to succeed globally? What stretch goals and priorities can be set for these applications in the next three years and beyond to make a roadmap for a leap forward?
  2. How can academia, industry and government work better individually and collectively to accomplish national objectives in quantum technologies?
  3. What are the key challenges and opportunities for academia and industry in the development, attraction and retention of talent?
  4. What can be done to ensure that, as Canada's quantum sector grows, it is increasingly representative of our diversity?
  5. What are the greatest opportunities and challenges in commercializing quantum innovations in the Canadian context? Do different quantum technologies (e.g. sensing and imaging, computing hardware, algorithms, communications, and materials) require specific approaches?
  6. How can the National Quantum Strategy help to ensure that, as quantum technologies and solutions come to fruition, they are adopted by Canadian businesses, academia, government and the public?
  7. How can the National Quantum Strategy best address the societal, ethical, legal and policy considerations that may arise given quantum technologies' disruptive capability?
  8. How can we leverage and mobilize Canada's research and business strengths to connect with international partners? How do we ensure we derive maximum benefit from these collaborations?
  9. How should the National Quantum Strategy address emerging security risks and build on Canada's expertise to create commercialization opportunities?
  10. What specific gaps, barriers and challenges hinder our efforts to solidify Canada as a global leader in quantum technologies?
  11. What best practices have you seen in Canada and/or abroad that we should consider when forming an advisory body?
  12. Are there any considerations that we have missed, questions we should ask or elements we should explore further?