22 December 2023

NQCP Official Inauguration

NQCP Life

On Friday December 15th, we held the official opening of NQCP in the celebratory hall of Copenhagen University. The gorgeous location underscores how we have our roots in the legacy of the university and the quantum heritage at the Niels Bohr Institute while we move forward into the future of quantum computing.

Collage of photos w. people at inauguration
Photo credit: Ola Jakup Joensen, NBI

The afternoon was an occasion to reflect on our ambitions, celebrate our inauguration, and, also, to express gratitude to all the many people across the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Copenhagen University who contributed to moving the program from audacious idea into reality.

The agenda included speeches from:

  • Christina Egelund - Danish Minister of Higher Education and Science
  • Mads Krogsgaard - CEO, The Novo Nordisk Foundation
  • Henrik Wegener - Rector, The University of Copenhagen
  • Lene Oddershede  - Senior Vice President, The Novo Nordisk Foundation
  • Peter Krogstrup  - CEO, NQCP & Quantum Foundry Copenhagen
  • Joachim Mathiesen - Head of Institute, Niels Bohr Institute

The artistic element to the gathering was the first performance of a musical piece composed by Kristoffer Rosing-Schow. The title of the piece is “Daedalus” after the Greek mythological inventor, and it was performed live on Theremin.

A Theremin is one of the earliest electronic instruments. And the only instrument that’s played without the performer touching the instrument. Instead, the sounds appear to emerge out of thin air when the musician’s hands interact with the field between two antennas.

Listen to “Daedalus” performed by Kristoffer Rosing-Schow.