When large amounts of money are invested in the research of small things, it is because our leaders firmly believe that our society and economic future can be shaped this way. These “small things” mean the objects and phenomena of the quantum world. Science is increasingly succeeding in taking control of this world. The range of topics spans from quantum communication with its inherent secure data transmission to quantum computers for unimagined processing power and to quantum simulations of chemical reactions and quantum sensors for medical diagnostics. Great technological promise with enormous economic potential is popping up in these fields. This potential is being raised on a large scale by the European Commission’s levied billion euro “Quantum Technologies Flagship” funding program and beyond that, it’s being pushed forward in flanking national funding programs. At the same time, not only large companies with long traditions, but also young start-ups are pushing developments which will bring entirely new products to the market which are based on quantum technology (QT).
Just as PTB was once – thanks to its measuring skills – at the beginning of quantum mechanics, PTB is now driving the second quantum revolution’s wave of metrological possibilities – with the next generations of atomic clocks, even more precise electrical standards and innovative measurement capabilities in medicine. At the same time, the metrological fundamental research leads to technological applications. To make these applications available for the economic development of QT, the Quantum Technology Competence Center (QTZ) was recently founded.
