A three-year pilot phase of the Open Quantum Institute (OQI) was announced on October 13, 2023, at the GESDA Summit held at CERN’s Science Gateway. According to a CERN announcement, the program would be fully embedded into CERN’s Quantum Technology Initiative (QTI) as of March 1, 2024.
GESDA designed the OQI in collaboration with some 130 experts, and UBS was named as the lead impact partner. Geneva Solutions reported that UBS would provide financial support of up to CHF 2 million (approximately $2.3 million) per year. Swiss Federal Council member Ignazio Cassis expressed support for the initiative at the launch, according to Geneva Solutions.
During the pilot phase, the OQI would support three or four projects targeting use cases related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with potential applications in food security, medical imaging, and carbon capture.