Giving Back to Where It All Began

Last month, Nord Quantique announced a $120,000 donation to the Institut quantique (IQ) at the Université de Sherbrooke. The critical funds will be applied to the revival of an important quantum technology research initiative: the Call for Projects program. 

The program supports emerging researchers with the opportunity to propose and lead their own projects - offering a significant opportunity to shape their scientific career, as well as contribute to quantum technology research and innovation. 

For Nord Quantique, the contribution is both a concrete investment in the future of quantum innovation, as well as a meaningful way to give back to the institution that played a foundational role in the company’s own journey. 

Reviving the Call for Projects 

The Call for Projects program is open to students and postdoctoral fellows working at the Institut quantique at the time of submission. Projects can span any area of quantum science and technology—including quantum information, engineering, and materials—and may run for up to two years. 

Nord Quantique’s donation will help enable IQ to relaunch the initiative and support a new cohort of student-driven research projects.  

“The Institut quantique works across quantum information, engineering, and materials,” explains Dany Lachance-Quirion, Vice President of Hardware at Nord Quantique. “Our own work is focused on quantum information and engineering, but we wanted this donation to be completely open. The goal is to support great ideas, wherever they come from.” 

From Student Projects to a Quantum Company 

The connection between Nord Quantique and the Institut quantique runs deep. 

Both Lachance-Quirion, as well as CEO, Julien Camirand Lemyre are among several Nord Quantique employees who completed studies at the Université de Sherbrooke and had the opportunity to lead research projects through IQ early in their careers. 

“As PhD students, Julien and I were able to lead projects at the very beginning of the Institut quantique,” says Lachance-Quirion. “That experience had a real impact on our careers. Now we’re in a position to give back, to help restart a program that creates those same opportunities for the next generation.” 

The Institut quantique was also instrumental in Nord Quantique’s earliest days as a company. The infrastructure, research environment, and broader ecosystem at IQ supported the company’s incubation and growth. “In many ways, our first round of seed funding was possible because the Institut quantique existed,” Lachance-Quirion notes. “We have the resources to give back.” 

Graduating Out—Not Walking Away 

Today, Nord Quantique is no longer an incubated startup within the university environment. The company has grown, matured, and built its own independent infrastructure. A healthy evolution of the ecosystem: one generation makes room for the next. 

And the relationship remains mutually beneficial. A significant portion of Nord Quantique’s team are alumni of the Université de Sherbrooke and the company continues to see the University as well as IQ as a critical source of talent, ideas, and collaboration. 

“In the end, we’re all passionate about quantum technologies,” Lachance-Quirion says. “IQ trains the people who will drive these developments. Some of them will come work with us, others will take their ideas elsewhere, or go abroad and bring new perspectives back into the larger ecosystem. That’s a good thing.” 

A Shared Vision for the Future 

The Université de Sherbrooke welcomed the donation as a powerful signal of confidence in student-led research and the long-term value of academic-industry collaboration. 

“This is a source of great pride for me, and for the Université de Sherbrooke as well, to witness the return of the Institut quantique’s student research project call program,” said Professeur Armand Soldera, Dean of the Faculty of Science during the formal announcement. “This program is fully aligned with the core of our mission in education and research, offering our students a concrete opportunity to propose their own research projects, develop new collaborations, and showcase their scientific creativity.”  

Strengthening the Quantum Ecosystem 

For Nord Quantique, the donation is not just about philanthropy, but about sustaining the ecosystem that makes long-term innovation possible. 

Quantum computing is a generational challenge. It requires patience, talent, and institutions that are willing to invest in people before outcomes are certain. By supporting student-led research at the Institut quantique, Nord Quantique is helping ensure that the next wave of ideas—and the people behind them—have the opportunity to emerge. 

As Lachance-Quirion puts it: “We’re all part of the same ecosystem. When students are given the chance to explore bold ideas early, everyone from academia to industry benefits, and so does the future of quantum technology.”