A quantum leap for the DIPC as IBM joins its Board of Trustees
The Lehendakari (Basque Prime Minister), Imanol Pradales, chaired the meeting of the DIPC Board of Trustees this morning. At this meeting, IBM joined the Board of Trustees, cementing the broad collaboration between the two organisations.
This morning IBM joined the Board of Trustees of the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), cementing the collaboration between the two entities that began with IBM researcher and Nobel laureate in Physics Heinrich Rohrer attending the DIPC’s opening event in 2000.
The addition of IBM, a global leader in materials science research, quantum computing and other advanced fields, underscores the multinational technology company’s commitment to the Basque Country. It is also aligned with the Basque Government’s strategy for quantum technologies, promoted through Basque Quantum – BasQ and Ikerbasque. It is worth noting that the IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Centre, which was announced in 2023, includes the installation of an IBM quantum computer in the Ikerbasque building, which is just a few metres away from the DIPC, further cementing this synergy.
Today’s meeting of the DIPC Board of Trustees, chaired by the Lehendakari Imanol Pradales, included an outstanding speech in which he underlined the importance of public-private partnerships. “This partnership did not happen by chance. It required at least two conditions to be met: a long-standing and ongoing commitment to scientific policy and to fostering an environment that supports the creation of hubs of excellence like the DIPC, which enhance our global reputation, nurture and attract talent, and help us to connect with other parts of the world”, he said. The presence of the Lehendakari on the DIPC Board of Trustees highlights the newly-formed government’s commitment to high-impact science and underlines the importance of the cutting-edge research conducted at the centre in Donostia-San Sebastian.
The President of the DIPC, Pedro Miguel Echenique, thanked the Lehendakari for being there and stated that “an advanced society needs advanced research. The fact that today an international company of the calibre of IBM has joined the DIPC Board of Trustees is due to the exceptional work that has been done, both by our research community, which has made the DIPC one of the world’s leading institutions in several fields of research, and by Basque institutions, both public and private, whose ongoing policies and bold strategic commitment to science have been decisive in placing the Basque Country at the forefront of science in several fields”. He also remarked that “the DIPC and IBM have enjoyed a fluid and productive relationship for many years, but we now want to take a qualitative leap in the scientific collaboration between the two organisations. A quantum leap”.
The President of IBM Spain, Horacio Morell, who attended the meeting as a new member of the Board of Trustees, said, “It is an honour for IBM to join the DIPC, an institution that embodies scientific excellence, innovation and, above all, the power of collaboration to have a global impact. Today I would like to highlight one of the cornerstones of our partnership: our shared commitment to quantum computing. Openness is the future of technology and collaborative ecosystems like the one we are building here are essential for moving towards this future”.
An outstanding Board of Trustees
The DIPC Board of Trustees is composed of representatives from key public and private institutions. The Department of Science, Universities and Innovation, the Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability of the Basque Government, the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, San Sebastian City Council, the Kutxa Fundazioa, the EDP Foundation, Telefónica and CAF are all members of the Board and have now been joined by IBM.
The meeting was held at the DIPC’s headquarters, where the trustees were able to view the construction works of the new DIPC building. These new facilities will allow the DIPC to make a qualitative leap in its scientific work, diversifying its fields of research and increasing its experimental activity.
25 years of scientific excellence
The DIPC, which will turn 25 next year, publishes over 500 scientific articles every year and receives more than 25,000 citations. It currently has over 200 contract researchers from many different branches of science, as well as research associates, and it also welcomes around 200 visiting scientists from various countries and continents each year. DIPC’s current research projects include quantum technologies, supercomputing, artificial intelligence, particle physics, cosmology, advanced materials, photonics, solid state physics and nanoscience, and a new line of research in neurophysics.
