On Thursday 7th September 2023, the sun came up with all its force to swathe Jesus College, Oxford in its late summer heat. This was a landmark day for RoaRQ – for the first time, its members gathered together in person to celebrate the beginning of a research journey.
Inside the Cheng Yu Tung Building, Jesus College’s new state of the art events space, beneath the sweeping staircases and far reaching views of Oxford’s trademark skyline, 42 academics from 14 UK universities congregated. There were conversations, exchanges of ideas and the buzz of imminent adventure, as investigation teams presented their plans and listened to those of their counterparts. The energy that emanated was palpable as new working relationships were formed and the gauntlet to create was laid.
There were talks from the RoaRQ Founding Investigators, EPSRC’s Director of Joint Quantum Technologies, a panel discussion with RoaRQ’s Scientific Advisory Board and a great deal of valuable networking.
To date the RoaRQ programme has assembled a network of 66 individuals from academic establishments across the United Kingdom with the joint aim of taking quantum computing to the next level.
This is just the beginning of the journey.
