IQuCode - Innovators for Quantum Computing Deployment

Program Objective

The IQuCode CREATE program, led by University of Calgary, offers much more than training: it is a unique opportunity to dive into the world of quantum computing while developing a highly sought-after professional profile, regardless of your field of study.

• Integrating quantum computing into research: students learn to use quantum tools and concepts to enrich their work across diverse disciplines.
• Professional development: the program emphasizes concrete, transferable skills that enhance employability, both within the quantum technology ecosystem and in other cutting-edge sectors.
• Contributing to a highly skilled workforce: graduates become key players in the advancement of quantum science and its applications, whether in engineering, finance, quantitative biology, chemistry, or beyond.

Internships

IQuCode offers the possibility of completing an internship in different formats, depending on the academic path.

Undergraduate students
Although IQuCode is primarily a scholarship program for graduate and postdoctoral students, undergraduate students pursuing a bachelor’s degree have the opportunity to receive a $4,000 scholarship. This funding is intended to cover travel and housing expenses. One of the eligibility requirements for this scholarship is mobility. Any portion of the amount that exceeds travel-related costs is given directly to the student as a surplus.

Graduate students
PhD students can complete an industry internship lasting 4 to 8 months. Master’s students may also undertake an internship, but given the typical duration of a master’s program, the decision is left to the student and their research supervisor. Internships are funded in the form of a salary paid by the employer.

The program is designed so that at the end of each year, an integrative activity brings together all students enrolled in the IQuCode program across the country. There are two main events: the Hackathon and the Workshop.

Hackathon
The Hackathon is the first event in the program’s curriculum and takes place alternately in Quebec and Alberta each year. Its goal is to gather all students from the pan-Canadian program and present them with a series of challenges in quantum programming and algorithms. Each team is tasked with solving these programming challenges.

Workshop
The Workshop is the second event in the program’s curriculum. It provides an opportunity for students from the pan-Canadian program to meet, share ideas, and network with one another as well as with various actors from academia, industry, and entrepreneurship. In the second year of the program, a course on entrepreneurship applied to quantum technologies offers students the chance to develop a business model for a quantum technology project and to validate both the hypotheses and the feasibility of their project.

Director: Prof. Daniel Oblak, University of Calgary

Coordonnator: Melissa Wrubleski, University of Calgary

Principal collaborators at Université de Sherbrooke:

• Prof. Anne MacKay, Departments of Mathematics and Finance
• Prof. Jean Bibeau, Managemenet school
• Prof. Dave Touchette, Department of Computer Science
• Karl Thibault, Institut quantique (coordination)

Contact at Université de Sherbooke : karl.thibault@usherbrooke.ca