Deep Pockets

Both the United States and the European Union held their big elections this year. The U.S. elected a new President, and changed the balance of power in the House and the Senate that govern 335 million Americans. The EU elected a new Parliament and is in the process of appointing new Commissioners, steering the future for 450 million Europeans. 

What does this mean in DeepTech? How will this impact Industrial Policy, and the Transatlantic relations? 

Milja Kalliosaari, Government Relations Manager at IQM Quantum Computers, and Finland's delegate to NATO's Transatlantic Quantum Community shares her insight. 

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It’s clear we cannot keep using fossil fuels, and it’s clear that wind and solar alone can’t fulfill all of the increasing energy needs that we have. So something has to be done: We need Innovation. Today's  guest is someone who knows everything about nuclear energy, innovation, and their economic impact. 

Emma Wong is Principal Leader in Nuclear Engagement, Strategy, and Innovation at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). She just finished her secondment as the Senior Nuclear Technology and Innovation Advisor to the OECD’s Nuclear Energy Agency in the Division of Nuclear technology Development and Economics.

What does innovation in nuclear energy look like in 2024?

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The impact of technology has become overwhelming in our societies and in our lives. Technology impacts our personal privacy, our personal safety, but also our national safety, political stability, and even financial well-being. 

If we think about new fields of science and technology coming into mainstream commercial use - most recently AI and increasingly quantum come to mind - what are the types of things that we should be doing now in order to avoid unwanted consequences in the future. 

Today's guest is someone who knows this world inside-out. Christina Willis wears many hats; she's a scientist who's career has taken her from industry to the legislation chambers and back again. 

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Since 2022, the world’s Quantum ecosystem has gathered in Washington DC to bring a quantum-ready future into focus. As you will hear from these interviews, Quantum World Congress is the world’s premier gathering for quantum technology leaders, innovators, and visionaries. The air was filled with hope, camaraderie, laughter, and optimism. 

I attended the full 2024 event, including a precursor that was organized by the Embassy of Finland in Washington DC together with Johns Hopkins Science Policy and Diplomacy Group, as well as the pre-event International Forum ... with a microphone in hand.

Interviewees in the order of appearance:

André König, CEO of Global Quantum Intelligence (GQI)
Lincoln Carr, Quantum Education and Research Consultant; Professor of Physics and Quantum Engineering
Corban Tilleman-Dick, Founder & CEO of Maybell Quantum Industries, Chair, Elevate Quantum
Dr. Bob Sutor, Vice President and Practice Lead, Emerging Technologies, Futurum Group 
Omid Noroozian, Ph.D., Deputy Chief Technologist, Astrophysics Division, NASA
Rajat Ghosh, Manager, National Quantum Strategy Secretariat at Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Canada
Aravind Ratnam, Chief Strategy Officer (Q-CTRL), Australia
Andreas Masuhr, Head of the Quantum Initiative, Akademie der Naturwissenschaften Schweiz (SCNAT), Switzerland
Tomas Andersson, Senior Research Officer, Swedish Research Council
Lene B. Oddershede, Senior Vice President, Professor, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Denmark
Jarmo Sareva - Consul General, Ambassador, Consulate General of Finland in New York
Petri Koikkalainen, Counselor for Science and Education, Embassy of Finland in Washington DC
Fikriye Selen-Okatan, Senior Advisor, Digital Technologies and Startups, Business Finland in New York
Celia Merzbacher, QED-C Executive Director at SRI International
George Thomas, President of Connected DMV, organizer of Quantum World Congress

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Even though quantum computers are not in wide use yet, it is well known that they have the potential to break the encryption system that is in use in most modern computing systems. Across the globe, governments are beginning to prepare for the opportunities, but also to the threats that quantum computers will introduce. Danika Hannon, Deputy Head of the Quantum Strategy Institute, will tell us how the U.S., Europe, and Asian countries protect themselves against potential future threats. 

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Take any device in your home with a screen; your phone, your computer, your TV, there’s a high likelihood that the display is built in South Korea, or by a South Korean company. At the very least whoever built it has licensed technology from South Korea. That’s kind of amazing. How did this Asian country become to dominate this piece of technology? Listen to this story from Government and Innovation - the Economic Developer's Guide to our Future, available in Amazon. 

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The EU's Artificial Intelligence Act came into force August 1, 2024. This is the most comprehensive legislation on the topic. What does it entail, who is affected, how to comply? Meeri Haataja, CEO and Co-Founder of Saidot is one of Europe’s leading experts on AI governance. This episode discusses policy, innovation, social impact, and human interest stories of one humanity’s most disruptive modern technology. 

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Bob Sutor worked at IBM for nearly 40 years, creating the modern IT infrastructure and industry. His most recent area of expertise, quantum computing, turns out to be the most exciting of them all. In this episode, Bob tells us why we are now in a point in history when the quantum industry needs its "Apollo program", a large scale government funded program and industrial policy that will take us to the next level. 

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How does recruiting in AI differ from recruiting in biotech, or quantum? Who is currently hiring, startups, corporations, or the academia? Will deeptech founders ever use professional recruiting companies? Any differences between North America and Europe? Answers to these, and other burning deeptech recruitment questions by Amir Rasool from Orion Technology. 

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Finland's Climate Fund started its operations in December 2020. To date it has made 25 investment decisions that total 182.9 million euros in startups such as Solar Foods that makes protein out of air, Betolar, a sustainable cement company, or Paptic, a fiber based packaging material innovator. In May 2024 the Finnish government decided to ramp the fund down. Was the fund succesful, unsuccesful, and are there any lessons learned for others? Deep Pockets talks to Pia Erkinheimo, Director of Dealflow and Customer Relationships on her journey. 

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