The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and NEDO launch a prize program for "Web3 x Quantum Computing" with a maximum of 40 million yen for 44 challenges | CoinDesk JAPAN

The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), an independent administrative institution under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, announced on April 4 the prize challenge for "NEDO Challenge, Quantum Computing 'Solve Social Issues!'" as the fourth installment of the NEDO Prize Utilization Program, aimed at solving social issues using quantum computer (QC) technology.

This is the first attempt by a public institution in Japan to implement a prize project in the QC field.

This program aims to solicit technical seeds and solutions in a contest format, with the goal of early discovery of technologies that lead to the resolution of social issues and the creation of new industries.

In this fourth installment, 44 social issues carefully selected by experts from over 100 candidates submitted by companies and others have been presented. Proposals will be solicited from companies and academia that have solutions through QC for these issues.

The presented challenges are classified into three areas: "Society 5.0", "QoL", and "Cool Japan", and include themes related to the improvement of network system quality as well as the construction of Web3 token economies and next-generation blockchain technologies.

[NEDO Challenge, Quantum Computing "Solve Social Issues!" Award Challenge] Proposals from solution providers may receive free access to the latest QC-related research and development environments, including AIST's G-QuAT, as needed.

The prize money is set for each challenge area, with 40 million yen awarded for first place, 20 million yen for second place, and 10 million yen for third place.

The application period for the solicitation of solutions is until noon on June 16, 2025. Submission of results is scheduled for around July 2026, with the announcement of winners and the award ceremony planned for around September of the same year, and the distribution of prize money expected around October of the same year. Applications can be made through the NEDO Challenge official website.

The purpose of the NEDO Bounty Utilization Program is to solicit a variety of seeds that contribute to solving technical and social issues in a contest format, which will lead to the resolution of future social issues and the creation of new industries.

[NEDO Prize Utilization Program Scheme] The scheme is characterized by adopting a system that pays rewards based on results, unlike conventional commissioned or subsidized research and development projects, aiming to realize Society 5.0 (a human-centered society that highly integrates cyberspace and physical space to achieve economic development and solve social issues) proposed by the Cabinet Office and enhance international competitiveness. This system started in the fiscal year 2023.