The New South Wales government announced AU$15.4 million (approximately US$11 million) in funding to establish the Sydney Quantum Academy (SQA), a joint initiative of Macquarie University, UNSW Sydney, the University of Sydney, and the University of Technology Sydney. Combined with university and future industry contributions, the total investment in the SQA was expected to reach approximately AU$35 million, according to a UNSW announcement.
SQA was designed to train the next generation of quantum engineers and scientists, facilitate industry engagement, and attract global talent to Sydney. Professor Michelle Simmons of UNSW noted that the spin-out company Silicon Quantum Computing needed “engineers and physicists with incredibly specialised skills in quantum science.”
At the time of the announcement, Sydney was already home to one of the highest concentrations of quantum research groups in the world, with a growing commercial sector including Silicon Quantum Computing, the Microsoft Quantum Laboratory at the University of Sydney, and Q-CTRL.