On April 5 and 8, 2024, FAPESP and the Rio de Janeiro State Research Foundation (FAPERJ), in partnership with the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC), held a thematic conference on Quantum Science and Technology in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The event was a preparatory activity for the 5th National Science, Technology, and Innovation Conference held in Brasilia from June 4 to 6, 2024.
According to Revista Pesquisa FAPESP, more than two dozen researchers, government officials, and entrepreneurs participated. Physicist Luiz Davidovich of UFRJ noted that Brazil has approximately 120 researchers working in quantum science, with established groups in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, and Rio Grande do Norte. Participants identified attracting engineers, chemists, mathematicians, and computer scientists to the field as a priority.
During the São Paulo session, physicist Gustavo Wiederhecker of UNICAMP announced the first public call of the FAPESP Quantum Technologies Initiative (QuTIa) program. FAPESP and FAPERJ had signed an agreement in late 2023 to carry out joint research in quantum technologies.