On October 9, 2020, the New Zealand Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) announced NZ$36.75 million (approximately US$24.5 million) in Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) funding for the Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, Te Whai Ao, hosted by the University of Otago. The funding covers a 7.5-year period beginning July 2021 through 2028.
According to the University of Otago announcement, the award was a continuation of TEC support for the Dodd-Walls Centre, which was initially funded as a CoRE in 2014. The Centre involves researchers from six New Zealand universities conducting collaborative work in quantum optics, photonics, and precision atomic physics.
Professor Richard Blaikie, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, said the funding would enable the Centre to continue producing research and personnel in the field, with potential applications in computing, communication, and sensing. The TEC’s Royal Society Te Apārangi advisory committee assessed 31 proposals in this round, selecting ten CoREs for total annual funding of NZ$49.8 million.