The United States and the United Kingdom have long nurtured a special relationship. That special relationship now extends to quantum technologies.
In a joint statement, representatives from the U.S., U.K. and Northern Ireland say that they will cooperate on quantum information sciences and technology.
Overall, the alliance will foster a much larger research and development ecosystem.
“We intend to establish a bilateral government-to-government dialogue on the areas identified in this vision and foster a QIST R&D ecosystem that promotes the mutual wellbeing, prosperity, and security of present and future generations,” according to the statement.
The countries agreed to a series of actions to support the partnership, including:
- Embarking on good-faith cooperation underpinned by our shared values such as freedom of inquiry, merit-based competition, openness and transparency, accountability, and reciprocity; and promoting protection of intellectual property, safe and inclusive research environments, rigour and integrity in research, research security, and reducing administrative burdens.
- Utilizing existing bilateral science and technology cooperation mechanisms and multilateral cooperation frameworks, and pursuing new implementing pathways, as appropriate, to promote jointly funded and cooperative QIST research and development efforts.
- Facilitating interactions between government, academia, and the private sector to discuss and understand research trajectories in QIST, which in turn will inform the identification of overlapping interests, gaps, opportunities for future cooperation, areas where standards or consortia are needed, and responses to the as-yet-unknown implications and impacts of the field.
- Enabling opportunities to build the global market and supply chain for QIST research, and supporting economic growth by engaging stakeholders including industry consortia, research, policy, and business security stakeholders to grow a future QIST marketplace based on shared rules for engagement.
- Creating regular bilateral and multilateral opportunities to discuss QIST matters of international importance and relevance to policy issues including regulatory, social, security, mutual access, and technology protection considerations.
- Promoting multidisciplinary research and the cross-fertilization of research methodologies and data sharing as appropriate, including the exchange of people, particularly between respective quantum centers and hubs and universities participating in QIST R&D, to develop the next generation of scientists and engineers vital to expand the field.
The agreement underscores the potential of quantum science and its implications: “Affirming that the QIST ecosystem is global, and that international partnerships, grounded in shared values of research integrity and cooperation between allies, are vital to combine the expertise, ingenuity, and creativity of our countries to expand our foundational understanding of QIST and accelerate the realization of subsequent new technologies for the benefit of society and in support of our shared defense interests.”
