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About IYQ

Mission

The mission of the International Year of Quantum Science & Technology (IYQ) is to use the occasion of 100 years of quantum mechanics in 2025 to help raise public awareness of the importance and impact of quantum science and applications on all aspects of life. Anyone, anywhere can participate in IYQ by helping others to learn more about quantum on this centennial occasion or simply taking the time to learn more about it themselves.

No One Owns Quantum Science 

No individual, society, country, institution, or discipline can claim ownership of the past or future of quantum science; it is knowledge that should be free to all. IYQ recognizes those who put effort into studying, developing, investigating, using, and teaching quantum science and technology, while seeking to solicit and answer questions from anyone who wants to learn more about it. 

Everyone is Invited 

Those who have insights into the beauty, power, and importance of quantum science and technology should use IYQ as a moment to share these insights with people who are less familiar with quantum. IYQ asks everyone to make an effort to reach out to people with different cultural backgrounds and aesthetic sensibilities. 

Recognize Consensus, Honor Dissent, and Admit Ignorance 

If you’re inclined to present or seek out a unified story, make note of where others dissent. If you’re inclined to highlight disputes and controversies, recognize where there is consensus. If you’re inclined to promote or to understand established knowledge, make note of what is still unknown. 

Help Others Find Reliable Quantum Information 

Manythings have been and will be said about quantum science and technology that are untrue or misleading. The remedy for these statements is more quantum speech. All people proceed from learning simple, sometimes incorrect stories to deeper, more nuanced ones. IYQ aims to meet people where they are in their understanding and help them to construct pathways for this journey. 

Model the Ideals of Scientific Conduct 

There is often a disparity between how we hope scientific inquiry is conducted and how it is actually practiced by individuals and institutions. IYQ is an opportunity to communicate and model the ideals of how science should be practiced in the hope that future generations will take up these values. 

Be Honest 

Pride in the past and optimism about the future are welcome, and stories often have to be simplified out of necessity, but IYQ should always aim to foreground honesty about the past and future of quantum science and technology. 

Have Fun! 

If quantum has brought joy to your life, share this joy with others.

Background and History

IYQ began as a grassroots movement among a small number of scientists, educators, and historians who recognized that the centennial of quantum mechanics in 2025 would be a perfect occasion to help broaden public understanding of how central quantum science and technology has become to humanity over the past 100 years and how its impact will likely only increase over the next 100 years. Word quickly spread among an international network of like minded individuals who began approaching scientific societies and developed a set of guiding principles for all those working on planning a public-facing quantum centennial celebration.


Recognizing the importance of quantum science and the need for wider awareness of its past and future impact, dozens of national scientific societies officially gathered together to support IYQ and endorsed marking 100 years of quantum mechanics with a U.N.-declared international year. The timeline of endorsements for this international year also included the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr), and the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IUHPST).


With broad support from the international scientific community, national governments also backed the idea, particularly given the critical role of quantum science and technology in developing sustainable solutions in energy, education, communications, and human health.


Led by the nation of Mexico, in May 2023 the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) endorsed a resolution encouraging official UN proclamation, followed by an endorsement of the full UNESCO General Conference in November 2023, which was co-sponsored by nearly 60 countries.


In May 2024, the nation of Ghana formally submitted a resolution for official proclamation of the International Year to the U.N. General Assembly. On June 7, 2024 the U.N. General Assembly officially declared 2025 to be The International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. The resolution was co-sponsored by over 70 countries, representing over 5 billion people.

Governance

The IYQ Secretariat

The Secretariat served as the primary operational body responsible for coordinating and managing activities related to the International Year. Its mandate includes overseeing the implementation of endorsed initiatives, managing the IYQ Global Coordination Fund held at the American Physical Society (APS), and serving as the central communication hub for stakeholders. 

The Secretariat was jointly provided by UNESCO and APS. Its day-to-day operations are led by a Global Coordination Bureau comprising officers with specific expertise relevant to the mission and oversight of IYQ activities.

  • Global Coordination Bureau: Claudia Fracchiolla, Mark Elsesser, Joe Niemela, and Paul Cadden-Zimansky.
  • Advisory Officers: John Dudley and Ana María Cetto.
  • Secretariat Support Staff: Yewande Lewis, Jackie Billek, Marsha Maxwell, and Kevin Kase.
  • UNESCO Team: Amal Kasry and Jing Zhao

The IYQ Steering committee

The Steering Committee served as the high-level decision-making body of the initiative. Its governance structure was designed to connect scientific leadership with multilateral policy dialogue. Reflecting this dual mandate, the Committee is led by two Co-Chairs, one representing the global scientific community and one representing the international and multilateral policy community, ensuring both technical credibility and policy relevance.

The Steering Committee was responsible for reviewing and approving proposals for major global events, authorizing significant expenditures from the Global Fund, and endorsing strategic reports. Its composition includes representatives from six Founding Partners, the American Physical Society (APS), the German Physical Society (DPG), Optica, SPIE, the Chinese Optical Society (COS), and the Institute of Physics (IOP), along with distinguished experts appointed through consultation with UNESCO and partner organizations.

  • Co-Chair: Sir Peter Knight – Senior Research Investigator, Imperial College London; Chair, UK National Quantum Technology Programme Strategic Advisory Board; Optica.

  • Co-Chair: Rosario Fazio – Head, Condensed Matter and Statistical Physics Section, UNESCO-ICTP; Director, Trieste Institute for Quantum Technologies (TQT).

  • Aba Andam – Fellow and Past President, Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.

  • Louis Barson – Director of Science, Innovation and Skills, Institute of Physics (IOP).

  • Hyoung Joon Choi – President, Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS); Professor, Yonsei University.

  • Silvina Ponce Dawson – President, IUPAP; Professor, University of Buenos Aires & Higher Researcher at CONICET, Argentina.

  • John Doyle – Past-President, American Physical Society (APS); Henry B. Silsbee Professor of Physics, Harvard University.

  • Emily Edwards – Co-leader, US National Q-12 Education Partnership; Associate Research Professor, Duke University.

  • Jon Felbinger – Deputy Director, Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C).

  • Andrew Forbes – Distinguished Professor of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

  • Bo Gu – Founder/President/CTO, Bos Photonics; Chinese Optical Society (COS).

  • Taeghwan Hyeon – Director, Center for Nanoparticle Research, Institute for Basic Science, Seoul National University.

  • Amal Kasry – Chief of Basic Science, Research, Innovation and Engineering, Natural Sciences Sector, UNESCO.

  • Claus Lämmerzahl – Member of the Executive Board | Public Relations, German Physical Society (DPG); Director for Space Sciences, ZARM, University of Bremen.

  • Gillian Makamara – Project Officer, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

  • Julio G. Mendoza-Álvarez – President, Mexican Physical Society; Professor, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN).

  • Joe Niemela – Emeritus Scientist, International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP).

  • Yasser Omar – President, Portuguese Quantum Institute (PQI); Professor, University of Lisbon; EU Quantum Flagship.

  • Peggy Oti-Boateng – Executive Director, African Academy of Sciences.

  • Enrica Porcari – Head of Information Technology Department, CERN.

  • Kent Rochford – CEO and Executive Director, SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics.

  • María Sánchez-Colina – President, Iberoamerican Federation of Societies of Physics (FEIASOFI); President, Cuban Society of Physics.

  • Smitha Vishveshwara – Professor of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

  • Carl Wieman – Professor of Physics and of the Graduate School of Education, Stanford University.

  • Ahmed Younes – Professor of Quantum Computing, Alexandria University; Vice Dean of Education and Student Affairs, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University.

IYQ Social Media Fellows

The IYQ Social Media Fellows were responsible for managing, soliciting, and creating content for the website and social media feeds throughout the Year.

Website Content Manager and Creator: Alexandra de Castro

Social Media Manager:  Solmar Verela

Web and Social Content Creator:  Serena Krejci-Papa

JNIPER IYQ Student Social Media Fellows:  Richard Sottie, Olivia Castillo, and Elle Roc.

100 Years of Quantum Progress

Health & Wellbeing

Quantum photonics is advancing medical imaging and diagnosis.

Quantum chemistry is supporting the development of new vaccines and drugs.

Reduced Inequalities

Open science and gender equity in education and research will ensure that quantum solutions are accessible to all.

Industry & Infrastructure

Quantum science is essential for developing new materials that drive technological innovation.

Economic Growth

Quantum science and technologies are integral to many industries; future economic and financial infrastructures will be secured by quantum information.

Climate Action

Quantum physics will inform next-generation sensors for environmental monitoring; quantum computers will improve the accuracy of long-term climate models.

Clean Energy

Quantum engineering is leading to more energy efficient and affordable solar cells and low emission LED light sources.