The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (also known as IIT Bombay) is about to launch an interdisciplinary dual degree program (IIDDP) in quantum technology. According to Suddhasatta Mahapatra, an assistant professor of physics at the university, the course will be delivered by the Centre of Excellence in Quantum Information Computing Science and Technology referred to as QuICST.
In its mission statement, the Centre aims to “bring together a diverse set of expertise available at the IIT Bombay towards innovation, education, and entrepreneurship in quantum science and technologies.” The formal opening of the Centre is scheduled for the month of August 2022.
He said that participation in the IIDDP initiative would be available to students at the institution who were enrolled in any Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) curriculum. According to Mahapatra, the dual degree course will be a two-year curriculum with knowledge in quantum technology and research work that may be done with researchers associated to the QuICST. The structure of the dual degree program has not yet been finalized, but Mahapatra claims that it will be the case.
Students who enroll in this new curriculum will be able to acquire both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in the same amount of time as those who participate in existing dual degree courses. B.Tech students have the opportunity to choose their course during the third year of the degree they have selected.
The National Quantum Mission (NQM) is a new organization that was recently launched by the Central government with the intention of promoting scientific and industrial research and development in the field of quantum technology. The National Quantum Initiative tasked the International Centre for Quantum Science and Technology, or QuICST, with doing research in the following four subfields of quantum technology:
- Quantum Materials and Devices,
- Quantum Communications,
- Quantum Sensing and Metrology, and
- Quantum Computing
