BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:Europe/Stockholm X-WR-TIMEZONE:Europe/Stockholm BEGIN:VEVENT UID:71@qsip.se DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Stockholm:20260326T030000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Stockholm:20260326T040000 DTSTAMP:20260311T122224Z URL:https://qsip.se/calendar/qsip-webinar-the-quantum-ecosystem-around-que bec/ SUMMARY:QSIP webinar: The Quantum Ecosystem around Québec DESCRIPTION:On 26 March\, 15:00-16:00\, we are delighted to host Christia n Sarra-Bournet from Distriq (Québec Quantum Innovation Zone) and Oli vier Labrèche from Mila (Québec's Artificial Intelligence Institute) f or a webinar where they will present how they build up the ecosystem there .\n\nIf you are intersted to join us\, please sign up here.\n\nAbstract\nD istriq\, Québec’s Quantum Innovation Zone in Sherbrooke \nThis has rap idly become a cornerstone of the province’s quantum innovation landscape \, driving research\, commercialization\, and industrial development. Offi cially designated in 2022 and backed by major provincial and federal inves tments\, Distriq integrates world‑class research capabilities\, cutting ‑edge infrastructure\, entrepreneurial acceleration\, and strategic part nerships to position Québec as a global leader in quantum technologies. A cting as a hub connecting academia\, industry\, and government\, Distriq p lays a pivotal role in structuring Québec’s broader quantum strategy an d strengthening coherence across the ecosystem. This presentation will exp lore these dynamics in detail\, illustrating how Distriq functions not onl y as a powerful local engine of innovation but also as a key connector ali gning Québec’s strengths with Canada’s wider quantum ambitions—ulti mately contributing to a competitive\, integrated\, and internationally en gaged quantum economy.\n\nMila\, Quebec's Artificial Intelligence Institut e\nFounded by Professor Yoshua Bengio—a central architect of the modern AI revolution—Mila is the world’s largest academic research center ded icated to deep learning. Today\, the institute unites over 1\,500 research ers and professionals\, 150 faculty members\, and a robust network of 150 partner organizations. While Mila consistently drives fundamental scientif ic discovery\, it is equally committed to the ethical and socially respons ible advancement of artificial intelligence.This presentation will explore how Mila successfully bridges academia and industry to foster a dynamic i nnovation ecosystem. It will specifically highlight Mila's pioneering expe rtise at the intersection of quantum computing and AI\, while outlining st rategic plans to support research and development on next-generation compu te platforms\, which will include Quantum Processing Units (QPUs) and nove l chips.\n\nAbout the presenters\n\n\nChristian Sarra-Bournet is the co-fo under and the Executive Director of the Institut quantique (IQ) at Univers ité de Sherbrooke since its inception in 2015. IQ is a research community of 300+ members that brings together experts in quantum materials\, quant um information\, and quantum engineering. Christian was one of the archite cts of the From Quantum Science to Quantum Technologies initiative\, an ambitious project selected as one of five for Canada's inaugural Canada Fi rst Research Excellence Fund competition\, which was pivotal in the genesi s of the Canadian quantum national strategy. He has since made significant contributions to quantum science and technology research and training\, n otably establishing Canada's first IBM Quantum Innovation Center and the w orld's first francophone bachelor's degree in quantum information science at Université de Sherbrooke.\n\nChristian is also the scientific director of Distriq\, the quantum innovation hub of the city of Sherbrooke and ser ves on the governing boards QVStudio\, a quantum startup accelerator and P rompt (one of Quebec's nine industrial research clusters specializing in i nformation and digital technologies). He also sits on the scientific advis ory committee of the Fonds de Recherche du Québec (FRQ) Nature and Tech nology sector\, and the Cybersecurity and Digital Expert Committee of the  Ministère de la Cybersécurité et du Numérique.\n\nChristian holds du al Ph.D. degrees in Materials Engineering from Université Laval\, Canada\ , and in Electrical Engineering from Université de Toulouse\, France.\n\n \nOlivier Labrèche is a Senior Partnerships Advisor at Mila – Quebec Ar tificial Intelligence Institute. With a foundational background in avionic s software and telecommunications\, he transitioned to applied machine lea rning in 2018\, successfully deploying AI solutions across the retail\, ba nking\, and energy sectors. Since joining Mila in 2024\, Olivier has spear headed initiatives to cultivate quantum expertise and drive collaborative\ , industry-backed research at the critical intersection of artificial inte lligence and quantum computing. He holds an M.Sc. in Communications Engine ering from the Technical University of Munich and a B.Eng. in Electrical E ngineering from McGill University.\n\n \;\nIf you are intersted to joi n us\, please sign up here.\n ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://qsip.se/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Promo s_QSIP_lansering_data.jpg CATEGORIES:QSIP Event END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/Stockholm X-LIC-LOCATION:Europe/Stockholm BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20251026T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR