Laser and Quantum Technologies

One of the most groundbreaking technologies of the present century is quantum technologies. Over $30 billion has been invested in the government sector and over $5 billion in the private sector in this field, and the investment is rapidly increasing. These technologies are divided into three categories: quantum computing and simulation, quantum communication, and quantum sensors. Quantum computers are considered a game-changing technology due to their extremely high speed and minimal energy consumption compared to today's supercomputers. They have significant applications in various industries such as artificial intelligence, medicine, materials science, optimization problems, and more. The computational speed of these computers is so high that all common encryption methods used today can be decrypted to some extent.

Therefore, fundamental measures must be considered to ensure the security of communication channels. Quantum communication can be employed for this purpose. The decryption of quantum communications is theoretically impossible, and many countries have been active in this field for over two decades to protect their information. Quantum sensors have also received special attention due to their smaller size and higher precision compared to classical sensors.

Entering any of the mentioned sectors requires expertise, infrastructure, and specific investments. For this reason, all countries engaged in this field are striving to establish their position in the field of quantum technologies through international and academic collaborations. Each country, based on its needs, available experts, existing infrastructure, and the level of investment it can make in this area, designs a roadmap to achieve quantum technologies. Countries without limitations in terms of expertise, infrastructure, and investment operate in all areas of quantum technologies simultaneously. Some countries have taken different paths based on the mentioned criteria. In our country, due to limitations in the number and diversity of specialized personnel, infrastructure deficiencies, and the inability to make extensive investments in this field, it is essential to utilize an optimal plan to reach quantum technologies.

As quantum computer construction paths are long, multifaceted, and require heavy investments, initiating activities in certain quantum technologies such as quantum communication and quantum sensors can provide the country with suitable readiness to undertake more profound endeavors in this field.

The quantum research acceleration program at the "National Science Foundation of Iran" has been developed with this approach and in order to encourage domestic researchers, in collaboration with the "Office of Presidential Innovation and Development Cooperation" and the "Optics and Quantum Office."

Program summary:

This call is open for applicants and enthusiasts from June 5, 2023, to July 22, 2023.

Types of supports:

In this type of support, applicants must submit their research proposals, along with a list of required equipment and their associated costs, by selecting one of the ten RFPs in Table 1, to the foundation. The maximum funding amount for these proposals is up to three billion Iranian Rials (IRR), and the maximum duration is three years. Priority for support is based on research quality, the researcher's track record, and the competitiveness of the proposal's budget. All necessary equipment for implementation will be procured under a separate contract. Upon successful completion of the project and approval by the review team, ownership of the equipment will be transferred to the researcher, and until then, the executing institution will provide the foundation with permission to remove the equipment and refrain from attaching any asset tags to the equipment. Additionally, the researcher is obligated to, after transferring ownership of the equipment, provide services at a preferential rate on the national laboratory network commensurate with the value of the equipment, as stipulated in the ownership transfer contract.

• Supporting the postdoctoral program and doctoral thesis:

In this type of support, up to 20 postdoctoral projects and 20 doctoral dissertations listed in Table 2 are supported in accordance with the regulations of the National Science Foundation and the evaluation committee's criteria, such as practicality, up-to-dateness, etc., for postdoctoral projects for up to one year and for doctoral dissertations for up to two years.

Contract Termination Conditions:

• The executor fails to complete the project for any reason (withdrawal of the executor or team members, inability to implement the project, exceeding the project's duration beyond what was proposed by the executor).

• The executor refuses to provide services in the national laboratory network.

• During the continuous arbitration process throughout the project, the executor is recorded as not achieving the specified intermediate goals.

• In all research projects, the results of conducted research must be shared between the foundation and the researcher while maintaining confidentiality. If the researcher does not intend or is not capable of continuing the subsequent parts of the project, it will be entrusted to other researchers by the foundation's discretion and with the foundation's approval.