June 2024 was shaped by two high-level multilateral signals: the G7’s Apulia communiqué committing all members to adopt quantum strategies and tighten export controls on emerging technologies, and the UN General Assembly’s proclamation of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. Alongside these, Finland launched both a national quantum strategy working group and a €70 million computer development grant, India and the United States expanded their bilateral quantum cooperation under iCET, Israel opened a multi-platform national quantum computing center, and Queensland rolled out AU$53 million in targeted quantum grant programs.
G7: Apulia Communiqué Commits Members to Quantum Strategies and Export Controls
What happened. G7 leaders adopted the Apulia Leaders’ Communiqué on June 14, 2024, at the conclusion of the 50th G7 Summit in Fasano, Italy. The communiqué committed members to adopt or implement their respective quantum strategies and to strengthen export controls on materials, technology, and research that could be used for military purposes. The Italian presidency had elevated quantum technologies on the G7 agenda earlier in 2024 through the Verona-Trento ministerial declaration in March, and Italian company QTI deployed quantum key distribution systems to secure communications at the summit venue.
Why it matters. The Apulia language is the clearest collective G7 statement yet that quantum technology sits at the intersection of economic competitiveness and security policy. The twin commitments, to national strategies and to export controls, reflect the growing policy consensus among advanced economies that quantum development must be paired with technology protection. The explicit reference to multilateral export control regimes as central to this effort signals that discussions about adding quantum-specific items to arrangements like the Wassenaar Arrangement will intensify. The QKD demonstration at the summit itself, while partly symbolic, gave operational visibility to quantum-secured communications in a real diplomatic setting.
What remains unclear. The communiqué does not define what “implement their respective quantum strategies” means for member states at varying stages of strategy development. It remains to be seen whether the export control language will translate into new harmonized listings or simply ratify existing national measures. How the G7 will monitor compliance or progress on these commitments is also unspecified.
Who should care. National security and export control policymakers in G7 countries, quantum hardware and component manufacturers with cross-border supply chains, defense ministries assessing quantum-secured communications, and trade compliance teams at companies supplying dual-use quantum equipment.
United Nations: General Assembly Declares 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology
What happened. The UN General Assembly on June 7, 2024, adopted Resolution A/RES/78/287 proclaiming 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. The resolution was co-sponsored by more than 70 countries and adopted without objection. Ghana formally submitted the draft resolution, building on prior endorsement at the UNESCO General Conference in November 2023. UNESCO was designated the lead agency, with the American Physical Society administering the campaign. Co-sponsors spanned every region, from established quantum research nations to developing states across Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Latin America.
Why it matters. The IYQ resolution is the first time quantum science has received a dedicated UN observance year. The breadth of co-sponsorship (more than 70 countries) is notable because it extends well beyond the roughly 30 nations with active quantum research programs, indicating that quantum awareness is entering a wider circle of government agendas. The resolution’s framing of quantum technologies as relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals, including health, climate action, and clean energy, gives developing countries a policy rationale for engaging with quantum even in the absence of domestic research capacity. The designation of Ghana as the presenting delegation and Egypt’s appointment to the IYQ Steering Committee reflect deliberate efforts to position the Global South as participants in quantum governance, not merely observers.
What remains unclear. Whether the IYQ will translate into sustained policy attention or new funding in countries that currently lack quantum programs. How UNESCO will structure its coordination role given the wide range of member state capacities. Whether the observance year will produce any concrete commitments (such as new bilateral agreements or educational initiatives) or remain primarily a public awareness exercise.
Who should care. Science ministries in developing countries assessing whether to invest in quantum education, international science diplomacy practitioners, UNESCO and national commission staff, and organizations working on STEM capacity building in the Global South.
Finland: National Quantum Strategy Working Group and €70 Million Computer Grant
What happened. On June 6, 2024, the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment announced two parallel moves: the launch of a working group to prepare a national quantum technology strategy, and a special government grant of €70 million (approximately $76 million) to VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland for the development of a 300-qubit quantum computer. The working group was chaired by VTT CEO Antti Vasara and included representatives from multiple ministries, research institutions, and private companies. VTT began searching for an innovation partner in June 2024, with a goal of selecting a supplier in early 2025.
Why it matters. Finland is coupling strategy formulation with a concrete hardware investment, a sequencing choice that distinguishes it from countries that publish strategies before committing procurement funds. The €70 million grant for a 300-qubit machine represents a clear signal to the European quantum hardware market, as VTT’s open innovation-partner search effectively creates a competitive procurement for one of Europe’s next flagship quantum computers. The working group’s four subgroups (capabilities, enablers, ecosystem growth, and geopolitics and security) suggest Finland intends to produce a strategy that addresses both the technical and geopolitical dimensions of quantum policy. Finland’s dual role as a co-sponsor of the IYQ resolution and a domestic strategy builder in the same month positions it as a smaller EU member state punching above its weight in quantum governance.
What remains unclear. Which hardware platform and vendor VTT will select. How the national strategy’s timeline will align with the computer grant’s development schedule. Whether Finland’s approach will influence other Nordic or Baltic states to accelerate their own strategy processes.
Who should care. Quantum hardware companies eligible for VTT’s innovation partnership call, Finnish research institutions and companies in the quantum supply chain, Nordic policymakers watching Finland’s approach as a regional model, and EU officials tracking national strategy development across member states.
India and United States: iCET Second Meeting Expands Quantum Cooperation
What happened. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval chaired the second meeting of the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in New Delhi on June 17, 2024. The two countries agreed to initiate new cooperation in quantum communication, post-quantum migration and security, and Digital Twins technology. More than $2 million was committed for collaborative research through the US-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund’s competition on quantum technologies and AI.
Why it matters. The iCET’s quantum scope is expanding beyond the research cooperation of the first meeting to include operationally relevant areas like post-quantum cryptographic migration and quantum communications. The inclusion of post-quantum security as a named cooperation area reflects a growing convergence between quantum computing and cybersecurity on the bilateral agenda. While $2 million in competitive research funding is modest by absolute standards, the iCET’s value lies more in its signaling function: it positions quantum as a standing item in the US-India strategic technology relationship, alongside semiconductor supply chains, AI, and defense co-production. India’s engagement on post-quantum migration is particularly worth watching given the country’s large digital infrastructure footprint.
What remains unclear. What institutional mechanisms will manage the new quantum cooperation workstreams between iCET meetings. Whether the cooperation on quantum communication will extend to joint testbed development or remain at the research level. How India’s domestic quantum mission (announced in 2023) will connect to the bilateral cooperation framework.
Who should care. US and Indian government officials working on technology partnerships, quantum communication and post-quantum cryptography companies in both countries, Indian digital infrastructure operators assessing post-quantum migration timelines, and defense cooperation officials in both governments.
Israel: National Quantum Computing Center Opens at Tel Aviv University
What happened. The Israeli Quantum Computing Center (IQCC) held its grand opening at Tel Aviv University on June 24, 2024. Built with NIS 100 million (approximately $27 million) from the Israel Innovation Authority, the center is operated by Quantum Machines and houses multiple co-located quantum computers of different qubit types, including a 25-qubit superconducting processor from QuantWare and an 8-qumode photonic system from ORCA Computing. All systems use the NVIDIA DGX Quantum platform.
Why it matters. The IQCC’s multi-platform design is a distinctive approach: rather than backing a single hardware modality, Israel is building a center that co-locates superconducting and photonic systems under a unified control and classical computing layer. This positions the center as a comparative testbed for different qubit technologies, which has research value but also commercial relevance as the global market for quantum computing services remains hardware-agnostic. The choice to have Quantum Machines (an Israeli company) operate the center while integrating hardware from European companies (QuantWare, ORCA Computing) reflects a deliberate ecosystem-building model in which Israel supplies the control stack and orchestration layer while importing processors. The $27 million price point is notably lean for a national-level quantum center.
What remains unclear. What access model the IQCC will offer to Israeli researchers and companies outside Tel Aviv University. Whether additional hardware platforms will be added. How the center’s operations will integrate with Israel’s broader national technology priorities, including defense applications.
Who should care. Quantum hardware vendors seeking integration partnerships, Israeli startups and researchers needing quantum computing access, innovation authorities in other mid-sized technology economies considering similar center models, and companies in the quantum control and middleware layer.
Australia: Queensland Launches AU$53 Million in Quantum Grant Programs
What happened. Five grant programs under the Queensland Quantum and Advanced Technologies Strategy were launched on June 13, 2024, with a combined AU$53 million (approximately $35 million) in awards. The programs covered commercialization infrastructure, co-investment, a quantum decarbonization mission, a 2032 challenge program, and talent building. Grant recipients included Griffith University, the University of Queensland, and CSIRO. An additional AU$6 million in the state budget supported the Queensland Quantum Academy for quantum education in schools and TAFE.
Why it matters. Queensland’s grant portfolio is one of the most diversified subnational quantum funding packages anywhere. Rather than concentrating on a single hardware bet or research center, the state has spread funding across commercialization infrastructure, co-investment with private capital, a mission-oriented decarbonization program, challenge prizes, and workforce development. The inclusion of school-level and TAFE (vocational) quantum education is unusual and reflects a long-term workforce planning horizon. The “Quantum 2032” challenge program aligns with the Brisbane Olympics timeline, suggesting the state government sees quantum as part of its broader economic positioning. At the subnational level, this positions Queensland alongside other active state-level quantum investors globally.
What remains unclear. How the co-investment fund will select private-sector partners and on what terms. Whether the decarbonization mission will produce applications that reach deployment scale. How the state-level programs will coordinate with the Australian federal government’s national quantum strategy.
Who should care. Quantum companies and researchers in Australia considering Queensland as a base, education policy officials examining quantum workforce pipeline models, state and regional economic development agencies in other countries, and investors evaluating the Australian quantum ecosystem.
Also in June 2024
Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund (EIFO) invested DKK 70 million ($10.2 million) in Atom Computing, marking EIFO’s first direct investment outside Denmark and securing the California-based company’s European headquarters in Denmark, a move the Danish government framed as a tangible result of its national quantum strategy.
The OECD published a policy paper on cryptography for policymakers that addressed quantum threats to public key cryptography and the need for post-quantum migration, produced as part of the review of the 1997 OECD Recommendation on Cryptography Policy.
Malta launched a quantum-secure test network connecting two government data centers using trusted-node QKD, forming the first operational links of the country’s EuroQCI-affiliated national quantum communication infrastructure.
Belgium’s BeQCI consortium deployed the country’s first quantum key distribution links, connecting university campuses, European Space Agency facilities, and national research network data centers as part of the broader EuroQCI initiative.
Extended analysis of each development covered in this briefing, including cross-jurisdictional comparisons and implications by sector, is available to Quantum Policy Radar subscribers.