Made@ICFO

At ICFO, there is a very strong focus on quantum activities, with over half of the centre’s groups participating in research related to quantum technologies. Our theories, discoveries and experiments often represent essential technological elements in today’s cutting edge applications and are also setting the theoretical foundations of future quantum solutions.

Quantum discoveries at ICFO are at the very forefront of today’s research on quantum technologies. While some have marketable applications today, or are clearly being fine-tuned for next generation applications many more are laying the foundations for transformational applications which will have a transformational effect on society that are only now starting to be fathomed. For this reason, ICFO’s research is presented here not according to its academic or technologic relevance, but rather in relation to the moment in time where the related applications are expected to reach society.

As in the timeline outlined in the Quantum Manifesto, we classify ICFO’s research in 3 stages, according to where current work stands in terms of time to market when it is expected to provide solutions for many of today’s societal challenges:

• NOW Application-ready technologies (<5 years from now)
• NEXT Technological breakthroughs for the next generation quantum applications (5-10 years from now)
• FUTURE Foundations and building blocks of the future quantum solutions (> 10 years from now)