TU Kaiserslautern, together with partner universities, offers an international excellence master's program in quantum technology.

Professor Dr. Artur Widera (ret.) and his colleague Dr. Thomas Niederprüm conduct research and teach quantum physics. (Photo: Koziel/TUK)

Laser, microprocessor, or smartphone work thanks to quantum mechanics. Many quantum phenomena have now been understood by research. The insights will lead to the development of further technologies. To develop them, experts who are familiar with the subject are needed. The Erasmus Mundus Master's program "Quantum Technologies and Engineering" meets this demand. More than that: the excellence program focuses on international training and exchange. It is funded by the European Union for six years with more than five million euros. TU Kaiserslautern (TUK) offers it in partnership with universities. It is coordinated at the University in Dijon, France.

Quantum technologies are a future technology of the 21st century: Europe is a central player in both research and teaching. The new English-language master's program imparts essential fundamentals about the quantum world and handling modern quantum technology, as well as intercultural skills. TU Kaiserslautern offers it together with its partner universities in Aarhus, Moscow, and Dijon, from where it is coordinated. The program envisions that students attend at least two of the participating universities. Furthermore, close relationships with industry partners at each location are to be built to connect regional economies with the newly gained talents. The program is expected to start in the winter semester 2022/23.

"The approved Erasmus Mundus program reflects the high quality and extensive experience in research and teaching in the field of quantum physics that all participating institutions have acquired over the past ten years," explains Professor Dr. Artur Widera, who helped design the program at TUK. "The funding is primarily intended for scholarships to attract the best international students for quantum technologies and to bring them to Kaiserslautern as well."

"I congratulate the Department of Physics on this great success. This is another program in the Erasmus Mundus initiative in which TU Kaiserslautern is involved. This European excellence education is an important building block in the internationalization of our teaching," emphasizes Dr. Stefan Löhke, Vice President for Studies and Teaching at TU Kaiserslautern.

The Erasmus Mundus program aims to enable and simplify students' lives and studies in other European cities. The programs are among the flagship initiatives of European education. The students come from all over the world. Also within the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at TUK, there is an Erasmus Mundus program: the "European Master in Embedded Computing Systems" (EMECS), which is dedicated to the digitization of technical systems. In 2020, it was extended by five years in its third funding phase.

Questions answered by:
Professor Dr. Artur Widera
Research Area: Individual Quantum Systems
Email: widera[at]physik.uni-kl.de
Phone: 0631 205-4130