Quantum Childcare Pilot Programme

Past initiative by Quantum Delta NL and WIQD

Closed for applications

Why this programme?

For quantum technology to reach its next milestones, we need to invest in a growing, more diverse pool of expertise from across the world. Too often, we see that women in particular face barriers that we believe can be tackled with creative solutions.
Quantum Delta NL and We In Quantum Development led the Quantum Childcare Pilot Programme with an aim to reduce some of the most pressing issues that prevent women from engaging in Europe’s fast-growing quantum community.

Tackling the early years

While there are many issues that are worth tackling, we started this programme with a focus on helping women with young children. This is not to say that childcare is a women-only issue but it certainly impacts women more than men. In this pilot programme, we wanted to explore how to support childcare arrangements for (international) conference attendance. This is key to quantum research and development and education efforts, as well as to the successful careers of women in the field. Career setbacks resulting from reduced ability to travel not only impact the years when they happen, but continue to have repercussions throughout the following decades of a woman’s career.