Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Quantum STrategic Industry Alliance for Revolution (Q-STAR), and Skill-Up NeXt are pleased to announce that our proposal "Development and Implementation of Quantum Human Resource Development Program through Industry-Academia Collaboration" has been selected for the third phase of the Cabinet Office's Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP) "Promotion of Applications of Advanced Quantum Technology Infrastructure to Social Issues", Sub-Project D "Research and Development of Innovation Creation Infrastructure (Initiatives)", Theme 2: "Development and Implementation of Educational Programs", and now we call for participants for our program.
The Japanese government's "Vision for Quantum Future Society" calls for expanding the number of human resources using quantum computers to 10 million by 2030. To achieve this vision, it is essential to develop human resources, not only in academia but also in industry. In this initiative, industry and academia will collaborate to develop educational programs for personnel with diverse backgrounds in a wide range of industries and occupations, from research and development to marketing and management. The programs will be implemented in a global environment and will produce human resources who will accelerate the utilization and social implementation of quantum technology, thereby creating a foundation for the creation of quantum innovation for the development of human resources. In particular, the program will focus on fostering human resources as leaders in the promotion of quantum technology, with the aim of creating a virtuous cycle in which those who participate in the program play an active role after completing the program and further train and mentor others, thereby responding to the demands of society.
Professor Kae Nemoto, Director of the OIST Center for Quantum Technologies, is the R&D director for this initiative, under which OIST, Q-STAR, and Skill-Up NeXt will collaborate to develop and implement an educational program aimed at producing quantum industry leaders in Japan.
Industry and academia will collaborate from the program development stage to simultaneously develop an "educational course program" to foster quantum human resources to lead the business side and a "research technology program" to foster quantum human resources to lead the research and development side. In addition, we will also develop and implement programs to improve their presence in international settings, so that they can demonstrate strong leadership in a global environment. The developed programs will be improved based on feedback from the participants through practice as needed, which will lead to the development of more effective programs.
We have been developing the educational course program and the research and technology program through exchange of opinions between industry and academia through program information sessions and visits to OIST, and we are now recruiting participants for an educational course program (10 sessions in total) starting in June 2024.
Prof. Kae Nemoto, who leads the research and development of the program, said that "the implementation of quantum technology is expected to have significant social impact, and it will therefore be necessary for various professions to be literate in quantum technology in the future. In this course, we will focus on developing the skillset of generalist personnel with prior knowledge in quantum technology and who can see the future coming. We hope that the next generation of corporate leaders will take advantage of this course," calling for participation in the program.
