Amongst 24 projects awarded within the framework of the call for international research projects in the area of quantum technology organised by the QuantERA consortium, as many as 8 will be carried out with the participation of Polish scientists. One of them is Dr hab. Adam Wojciechowski from the JU Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science, who will work on improving the properties of nanodiamonds with colleagues from Germany and Spain.
‘QuantERA is a programme funding research on quantum technology with the broadest scope in Europe. 101 projects worth 120 million euro and more than 500 research groups from all over Europe, all coordinated by the National Science Centre with EU support’, said Sylwia Kostka, programme coordinator.
The fourth QuantERA call was announced in January 2023 by 35 organisations providing funding for research and has garnered much attention from the scientific community. There were 101 applications (56 in the category of Quantum Phenomena and Resources and 45 in the category of Applied Quantum Science), with 24 winning projects. Eight of those will be carried out by research teams from Poland (for with Polish coordinators). Five projects will receive funding from the National Science Centre (basic research), while three will be funded by the National Centre for Research and Development (applied research).
‘QuantERA Call 2023 received large numbers of high quality proposals both in the fundamental topic “Quantum Phenomena and Resources” and the translational topic “Applied Quantum Science”. The list of funded projects clearly illustrates the spectacular potential of quantum science and technology when it comes to proposing exciting new research ideas as well as identifying paths towards translating scientific results into technological applications and development of new products. The QuantERA programme is a unique funding mechanism in its ability to support collaborative research efforts combining expertise across traditional scientific disciplines available in Europe and beyond’, said Prof. Konrad Banaszek, QuantERA Scientific Coordinator.
Dr hab. Adam Wojciechowski from the JU Department of Photonics is the coordinator of the project ‘Advanced Quantum Sensing with NanoDiamonds’. The Polish team, which will spearhead the project, will also collaborate with a German team led by Prof. Fedor Jelezko (Ulm University) and Spanish team led by Prof. Javier Prior (University of Murcia).
The project, abbreviated as AquSeND, is focused on developing new quantum detection protocols using nanodiamonds. The researchers aim to show multitrack detection methods, e.g. simultaneous detection of changes in temperature and ion concentration, using diamond nanoparticles. The sophisticated detection methods currently used with macroscopic diamonds will be translated into micro- and nanoscale, increasing the potential of nanodiamonds. The project will make use of both experimental and theoretical approaches in order to study and perfect the material properties of nanodiamonds, improve the precision of detection protocols and develop a new scope of biomedical applications.
