FLiQC Officially Launches – A New Chapter for Australia’s Quantum Future

15 Jun, 2026

After a year-long journey building and establishing the Centre, FLiQC has officially launched, bringing together members of Australia’s quantum computing community from industry and academia to mark the occasion at the University of Sydney.

 

Official Launch

The event was emceed by Dr. Abigail Klopper (Diraq), and featured remarks from Professor Ute Roessner AM FAA, Australian Research Council, Professor Mike Ryan, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Sydney, and Professor Stephen Bartlett, FLiQC’s Centre Director. The program also included a keynote address from Dr Cathy Foley, Australia’s former Chief Scientist, who spoke to the significance of building a coordinated national approach to quantum talent development.

Attendees took part in lab tours led by Dr Xanthe Croot and Associate Professor John Bartholomew, offering a firsthand look at the research infrastructure underpinning FLiQC’s work. The day also featured a panel discussion with three former PhD students now working at the forefront of the quantum industry: Dr Will Gilbert of Diraq, Dr Claire Edmunds of Q-CTRL, and Dr Jacob Bridgeman of PsiQuantum. Their conversation offered candidates a window into where a quantum PhD can lead, drawing directly on their own transitions from academic research into industry careers.

As an ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre, FLiQC has been established with $5 million in funding from the Australian Research Council over five years, supporting advanced research, strengthened industry partnerships, and the training of the next generation of quantum specialists. The Centre will shape that next generation in close partnership with industry, working to ensure Australia’s quantum workforce is equipped to meet the demands of a rapidly growing global sector.

Read the official announcement from the Australian Research Council: Australia invests in the future of quantum computing leaders.

      

Inaugural Member Conference

The event doubled as the Centre’s inaugural member conference, drawing together FLiQC’s chief investigators, postdoctoral researchers, and HDR candidates from across its five university nodes in person for the first time as a unified national cohort.

Representatives travelled from the University of Sydney, UNSW, University of Technology Sydney, The University of Western Australia, and Macquarie University, joined by partners and collaborators from FLiQC and across the broader quantum ecosystem.