The Computation-based Science and Technology Research Centre (CaSToRC) of The Cyprus Institute (CyI) received an ERA Chair grant of €2.5 million (approximately $2.55 million) under the Horizon Europe program’s Widening Call. The grant funded a project called Quantum Computing for Excellence in Science and Technology (QUEST), which aimed to create a research group in quantum computing at CaSToRC.
According to the Cyprus Institute announcement, the project was established in partnership with the German Electron-Synchrotron (DESY), with Dr. Karl Jansen of DESY assuming the ERA Chair position. Institute Professor Constantia Alexandrou of CaSToRC served as the principal investigator.
QUEST was designed to make Cyprus “quantum ready” and to close the gap with other EU countries in quantum computing and quantum technologies. The project planned to establish a quantum computing hub as a collaborative platform, train new students and researchers, and pursue applications in industry. CaSToRC’s role as Cyprus’s national high-performance computing center was cited as enabling the project’s objectives.