The Israel Innovation Authority has announced a call for proposals worth 100 million shekels, approximately $32.8 million, to create a national quantum computing research and development infrastructure.
The planned center will allow companies and researchers to test, incorporate and use various quantum computing technologies, according to the authority.
Israeli Innovation, Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel said: "Israel must think one generation ahead. Our responsibility is to invest today in the technologies that will reshape the world in the decades to come." She described the national center as a way to bring together academia, industry and government in furthering Israel's future.
Dror Bin, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority, stated: "Quantum computing is expected to fundamentally transform the way industries address highly complex computational challenges. Through this new call for proposals, we aim to provide Israeli industry and academia with a state-of-the-art R&D infrastructure... transforming scientific and technological knowledge into a competitive advantage for Israeli high-tech while strengthening Israel's position as a global leader in this field."
The initiative requires the infrastructure to be fully operational within 18 months of approval. Within the first 12 months, the operator must begin delivering R&D services to users, offering hardware access, cloud-based services and algorithm evaluation across multiple quantum computing platforms.