Summary
Participate in our great contest and win an innovation trip! Win the chance to access a unique infrastructure and expert guidance for your digital or quantum innovation project.
Are you a Canadian SME?
Do you want to develop an innovative service or product?
Do you have an interest in quantum technology?
Then send us your application and win an access to our unique computing infrastructure in the world and personalized support from our experts. Each winner will receive an in kind envelope, worth up to $350,000
Application deadline: before 11:59 p.m., March 26, 2023.
Prizes for selected companies
Up to five companies will be selected in the following categories and will each receive support worth up to $350K.
Categories
- Climate Impact Company
- Company in new materials
Does your company seek to discover new materials or help in this discovery?
- Health sector company
Does your company seek to discover new drugs, vaccines? Do you want to improve the lives of patients? Developing health apps?
- Start-up company with high potential
- Quebec company
Prize for each winner
Each winner will receive:
- $150K credit for the PINQ2 quantum computer (one year access)
- $60K credit for HPC PINQ2 infrastructure
- $120K IBM Cloud Credit for your post-research and development project*
- $20K of IBM consulting services for the deployment of your solution
- Access to PINQ2 strategic support in quantum and HPC
- Invitation to select premium PINQ2 events in 2023 for unique quantum networking opportunities
*subject to startup with IBM program approval (link: https://developer.ibm.com/startups/ )
** subject to research project approval by IBM Research (link: https://research.ibm.com/blog/quebec-discovery-accelerator )
Conditions
To participate in this competition, your company must meet the following criteria:
- Small or medium-sized business with less than 499 employees.
- Canadian owned or Canadian subsidiary.
- To be eligible for the Quebec business award, a commercial entity must exist on Quebec soil.
- Develop an innovative service or product
- Demonstrate a valid interest in quantum technology
You also agree by participating in the competition that we may create marketing content with your brand to be able to support the promotion and development of PINQ2’s activities, and you agree to our terms of use to access our infrastructures.
At the end of the support program, if successful in the contest, you agree to submit to a short survey allowing PINQ2 and its partners to measure the impact results on your business and to use them for promotional purposes.
PINQ2 reserves the right to have no winner for some or all categories if no company satisfies the jury. A company cannot win in two or more categories at the same time.
Access to certain prices is subject to the conditions of the partners. You will need to complete an independent process and meet their terms of acceptance to benefit from these prices.
Process
Submit a presentation in PowerPoint format that answers the following questions
What is your company currently doing?
What do you want to achieve by participating in this contest? What is your project?
How could IBM's Quantum and/or Discovery Accelerator help you?
How will the outcome impact your business? How important is this to you?
What resources do you need to be successful? (Training, access, talent…?)
Who forms your team? (Its most prominent members related to the project and leadership)
Are you supported by other players in the ecosystem? If yes, which ones?
The selected projects will be informed as of March 1 that they will have an opportunity to present to our jury the following Monday to defend their project. The pitch does not have restrictions.
You will have 5 minutes for the presentation, and 10 minutes to answer questions.
No extension of time will be granted when speaking.
The pitches will take place online or in person at 1 place Ville-Marie, in Montreal between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. EST. Instructions will be emailed to you.
The result will be emailed to you on March 9, 2023. Winning companies will be invited to a special kick-off session to help them take full advantage of their prizes. Following the announcement of the results, companies have 4 months to start profiting from their prices and a year to consume them in whole or in part.
Evaluation criteria
- Clarity of objectives and identification of needs (15%)
- Team quality/credibility (15%)
- Impact of quantum technology on the success of the project (15%)
- Impact of the project for the company (20%)
- Impact of competition prizes on the company (20%)
- Quantum experience or exploration (5%)
- Impact of the project in Canadian and Quebec society (10%)
Conditions for your document to be valid
- Less than 15 slides (excluding cover page, conclusion page and required page)
- Add the required page at the end of your document with the following:
- Company name or company number
- Number of total employees (of the company, not only of the subsidiary)
- Address of head office or subsidiary in Canada
- Name and title of the custodian of the Competition file
- Custodian email address
- Custodian phone number
The document must be received correctly by email at the following address info@pinq2.com before 11:59 p.m., February 26, 2023. You must put as subject: Application Quantum Trip.