Connecting quantum research and development with industry

The Blusson QMI has established local, national, and international connections to accelerate the translation of quantum materials research into industry and society. We have active research collaborations with over 20 different private companies. Our labs and facilities are open to both academic and industry partners, and we work closely with the University of British Columbia’s (UBC’s) University Industry Liaison Office, Innovation UBC, and entrepreneurship programs to establish new partnerships, protect intellectual property rights and explore new start-up opportunities that are rooted in cutting-edge science.

Silicon Electronic Photonic Integrated Circuits Fabrication: SiEPICfab

The SiEPICfab consortium, established in 2018 by Lukas Chrostowski, brings together 20 companies and five universities that span the entire lifecycle of silicon electronics-photonics integrated circuits, including design, fabrication, packaging, testing and analysis. The consortium takes advantage of Blusson QMI’s world-class nanofabrication facilities and is a hub for silicon photonics circuit prototyping in Canada. To learn more, check out www.siepic.ca or email Steven Gou, Project Manager, at steven.gou@ubc.ca.

Research and Education in Quantum Computing

Quantum computers hold the promise of one day being able to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems. In Summer 2020, UBC and Blusson QMI researchers teamed up with collaborators at Simon Fraser University, the University of Victoria, and a number of local, national and international private partners (including D-Wave, 1QBit, Xanadu, Lumerical, Microsoft, IBM and Google) to initiate the Quantum Computing Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program. The program aims to train the next generation of leaders in quantum hardware and software. To learn more, check out www.quantum-bc.ca.

Emerging Ventures

We work closely with our researchers to explore opportunities to start new companies from their labs. We support the protection of pertinent intellectual property, perform market studies, and engage with a rich network of mentors and advisors (both within and external to UBC) to establish fundamental early-stage business strategies.

Dream Photonics. For foundries that provide high-speed electronic and photonic chips, Dream Photonics designs innovative circuitry that will drastically improve the on-chip integration of light-based components. This integration will enable smaller and less expensive photonic chips to be deployed, impacting the next generation of sensors, optical communication, and data transmission. Dream Photonics was founded in 2019 by Lukas Chrostowski, Sudip Shekhar, and graduate student Hossam Shoman. The company is currently in Phase 3 of e@UBC’s Lab2Launch accelerator program.

ThorTech Reactors Inc. ThorTech is developing an electrochemical reactor that makes hydrogenation – a ubiquitous chemical reaction in industrial synthesis – cleaner, greener and safer. ThorTech’s reactor design is based on a unique materials effect coupled with an electrochemical cell, discovered in the labs of Blusson QMI’s Curtis Berlinguette. The company was founded in October 2020 and, together with Berlinguette, co-founders Ryan Jansonius and Roxanna Delima are progressing the company through the Creative Destruction Lab’s Climate stream.

AweSEM. AweSEM aims to be the world’s first genuinely affordable desktop electron microscope. AweSEM is being developed in the lab of Alireza Nojeh with Casimir Kuzyk as a lead engineer and applies a fascinating electron emission phenomenon in a carbon-based nanomaterial, discovered in the lab. This phenomenon enables an electron source that can be incorporated into a microscope system that could one day cost as little as a few hundred dollars (compare this to current electron microscopes which cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars). A basic proof-of-principle demonstration was completed in December 2019, and the next generation of the system is currently being worked on.

Contact

Paola Baca, Managing Director
paola.baca@ubc.ca