The Karnataka State Cabinet has approved the establishment of Quantum Research Park Phase 2 at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (IISc), as announced by Karnataka's information technology (IT) minister, Priyank Kharge, on Thursday.
The establishment will be funded by a government grant of ₹48 crore and developed in partnership with the Foundation for Science, Innovation, and Development (FSID).
“This initiative will strengthen Karnataka’s leadership in quantum research, skill-building and innovation. It will offer a collaborative space for academia, startups and industry to work on cutting-edge quantum technologies,” said Kharge.
The park provides research and development capabilities, labs, training centres and various upskilling initiatives. “This initiative is expected to attract FDI [Foreign Direct Investment], boost IP [Intellectual Property] creation and open up new economic frontiers in areas like cybersecurity, climate modeling, pharmaceuticals and finance,” he added.
Earlier this year, the Karnataka government announced the launch of Phase 1 of the project at IISc Bengaluru, in collaboration with FSID. At the same time, the government also announced Phase 2 of the Quantum Research Park.
The Quantum Research Park has led to the development of key quantum infrastructure projects, such as a closed-cycle optical cryostat, quantum measurement and control systems, a continuous tunable laser, and a pulsed Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd:YAG) laser.
Several seed fund projects in areas like quantum sensing, quantum materials, quantum communication, and more have emerged. Furthermore, the initiative has fostered collaborations with several startups, industry-leading companies, and universities.
Additionally, Q-Daksha, Q-Karyashala, and Q-Pragathi provide students with internships, lab access, hands-on workshops, and upskilling opportunities as part of the research park.
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