320,000 euros go to the next generation in quantum science

Santander promotes interdisciplinary and international doctoral training in the project "Quantum Science and Technologies at the European Campus" (QUSTEC) through its own Santander Universities division. Funding in the amount of 320,000 euros will co-finance a total of five positions for early stage researchers. European funds and contributions from the participating universities provide further financing for the doctoral students. “We are able to attract young researchers to the Upper Rhine from all over the world in order to investigate the complex foundations of quantum science and develop future technologies together with them,” says Prof. Dr. Tobias Schätz, Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Freiburg and member of the QUSTEC consortium. Applications could be, for instance, new, secure communication networks, more precise sensors, the development of new quantum materials and prototype quantum computers.

"At Santander, we are convinced that international academic exchange is very important. I am very pleased when our funds give doctoral students from different countries the opportunity to do research together and thus benefit from one another," says Fernando Silva, member of the board of Santander Germany.

“I am very pleased about supporting our early stage researchers. Through the well-structured program QUSTEC, they are able to obtain excellent qualifications as quantum engineers of the future,” says Prof. Dr. Hans-Jochen Schiewer, President of Eucor - The European Campus and Rector of the University of Freiburg.

The doctoral program supported by Eucor - The European Campus offers a total of 39 early stage researchers the opportunity to complete a doctorate in this up-and-coming field of research. The Universities of Basel, Freiburg and Strasbourg, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the Walther-Meissner-Institute for Low Temperature Research in Garching near Munich and the research department of the IT group IBM in Zurich, Switzerland are all involved. The project runs for five years with a total volume of 9.1 million euros. QUSTEC already receives 4.2 million euros through a grant from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions “COFUND” program.

Background information
As the world's largest company (Varkey/UNESCO, Fortune 500 Report) to invest in education, Santander has been working for more than 20 years with universities around the world to promote education, entrepreneurship and employability, which are the basis for inclusive and sustainable growth. Santander currently has over 1,000 agreements with universities and institutions in 33 countries.

For more information

• Website about QUSTEC
• Article about QUSTEC in the online magazine from the University of Freiburg