It is now accepted that the conducting or insulating nature of matter is based on various separate ingredients (e.g. disorder, interactions, band filling, dimensionality, topology, etc.). However, their complex interplay is still beyond our understanding because experiments are very difficult and numerical calculations are often inefficient, even for supercomputers. In QUIC we want to achieve a breakthrough in the understanding of the fundamental mechanisms governing insulators and conductors by using quantum simulators, i.e. quantum computers of special purpose, based on fully controllable ultracold gases. In an experiment-theory enterprise, we will engineer several different kinds of such synthetic quantum matter, where we can isolate and study quantitatively the quantum phenomena and phases. We will not only study the physics of real systems, such as disordered and strongly-correlated superconductors and superfluids, but we will also create systems that do not exist so far in nature, such as topological phases in graphene-like lattices. QUIC combines for the first time advanced manipulation techniques of ultracold atomic gases, innovative theoretical ideas of condensed-matter physics and quantum-information methods. The immediate goals of our project are to understand quantitatively the subtle interplay of quantum phenomena in insulators and conductors, explore new promising directions for the engineering of transport in real materials, and lay the foundations for the design of the quantum materials of tomorrow.

EBRAINS is a collaborative European Research Infrastructure designed to advance and accelerate progress in neuroscience and brain health. This innovative infrastructure, a legacy of the Human Brain Project (HBP), is an ecosystem where researchers, clinicians and experts from various disciplines converge to explore and analyze brain complexity – from molecular and cellular levels to the functioning of the entire organ. Therefore, the project aims to create a new standard for brain atlases from the micro- to the macro-scale, link foundational multi-level data and connectomes in the healthy and pathological brain with atlases and models, create digital twins through modelling and simulation as well as unique, excellent, and preferred services for FAIR neuroscience data. The overarching goal of EBRAINS 2.0 is to foster a deeper understanding of brain structure and function with dedicated and mature software tools, to facilitate the development of more effective treatments, new drugs, diagnostics and preventive measures for neuro-psychiatric disorders. We expect that EBRAINS 2.0 catalyzes progress in the field of large-scale models running on HPC towards Exascale and leads to innovative solutions for neuro-inspired computing, and cognitive technologies such as neurorobotics and AI. Sophisticated digital modeling and data analytics capabilities will benefit communities beyond neuroscience, such as biomedicine. We will advance EBRAINS technology, platform services and the base infrastructure roadmap, educate and train a new community of users and developers from academia, industry and SMEs, and ensure knowledge transfer. EBRAINS 2.0 will become the neuroscience hub in the European infrastructure landscape, through building strong links with the European data spaces, EOSC and EuroHPC JU, centers of excellences and other initiatives. Globally, EBRAINS 2.0 will make a strong contribution to the new era of digital neuroscience and foster European leadership in this field.