Memorandum of cooperation
The Government of Australia as represented by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources of Australia and the Cabinet Office of Japan have jointly determined to cooperate on quantum science, technology, and innovation as set out below.
Introduction
- The participants recognise the longstanding partnership between the participants in science and technology.
- The participants note that this memorandum implements arrangements under the Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of Japan on Cooperation in Research and Development in Science and Technology (S&T Agreement), signed in Canberra on 27 November 1980.
- The participants acknowledge the importance of science and technology for Australia and Japan to deliver new sources of growth, maintain high-wage jobs, and seize the next wave of economic prosperity.
- Australia and Japan’s global leadership in quantum science, technology and innovation is underpinned by over three decades of collaborative research and pioneering advances in quantum computing, sensing, and communications.
- Quantum science and technology have the potential to transform lives and economies globally, and there is a need for a trusted, secure, and interconnected ecosystem to support this evolution.
- The participants reaffirm their shared commitment to an Indo-Pacific that is peaceful, stable and prosperous, and to advocating for the responsible development and use of quantum technologies in alignment with this vision.
- The participants recognise that elevating this cooperation across quantum science, technology, and innovation will deepen our bonds of friendship and mutual understanding, strengthen our economies, and contribute to global scientific and technological knowledge.
1. Areas of cooperation
1.1 The participants intend to pursue cooperation in the following areas, in line with the applicable laws, regulations, and policies of each participant:
- Dialogue on regional quantum leadership: Coordinate efforts to promote the secure and responsible development and use of quantum technologies aimed at delivering societal benefit and bolstering regional economic resilience across the Indo-Pacific.
- Access to infrastructure: Explore potential opportunities for mutual access to relevant research and development (R&D) and manufacturing infrastructure to support quantum technology development.
- Commercialisation, use cases, and scale-up: Support pathways from R&D to real-world adoption by encouraging use case development, pilot and demonstration activities, early-stage implementation, and opportunities to scale and deploy quantum technologies.
- Supply chain resilience: Identify opportunities to improve access to materials, components and products critical for the future of our quantum ecosystems; and collaborate, including with international partners in the region, to enhance the resilience of our quantum supply chains.
- Industry collaboration: Strengthen relationships between the Australian and Japanese private sectors by supporting the efforts of industry to increase awareness of respective quantum capabilities and identify opportunities for business-to-business collaboration.
- Private funding and investors: Facilitate connections with private investors and investment networks, including venture capital and institutional investors, to support investment readiness and the growth of quantum ventures.
- Joint research, talent exchange, and education, and human resources development: Promote closer quantum research collaboration through existing funding mechanisms, drive opportunities for academic exchange programs, and other educational initiatives that contribute to building a skilled, inclusive and diverse future quantum workforce, including through talent mobility and leadership development.
- Security and resilience: Recognise the implications of quantum technologies for national security and future economic security and cooperate on initiatives that protect sensitive technologies.
- Governance and standards: Collaborate on efforts to align perspectives and work on quantum governance, international standardisation, benchmarking, metrology, and responsible innovation.
- Cooperation and information sharing: Where appropriate and feasible, facilitate connections between the quantum ecosystems of Australia and Japan, including academia and research organisations, and engage in the exchange of information.
- Promotion and protection of quantum science: draw on relevant bilateral, regional, and multilateral mechanisms and initiatives, as they evolve, to support joint efforts to promote and protect quantum science, technology, and innovation.
- Any other areas of cooperation as mutually determined between the participants.
2. Implementation
2.1 The participants may jointly formulate separate implementing instruments relating to any of the areas of cooperation referred to in this memorandum for the purposes of undertaking collaborative activities or projects pursuant to this memorandum. Such cooperation may also, where appropriate and as mutually determined between the participants, be carried forward through flexible and less formal mechanisms, without necessarily requiring formal implementing arrangements in all cases.
2.2 Such implementing instruments may set out the contents and objectives of the collaborative activity, scope and sharing of work, research plan, project contact persons and, as appropriate, matters concerning financial modalities, modalities for any exchange of personnel and their responsibilities, the treatment of intellectual property, protection of information subject to confidentiality, risk liability apportionment and any other relevant requirements for the conduct the collaborative activity.
3. Intellectual property
3.1 If any intellectual property matters arise from the application of this memorandum, the participants will address them in separate appropriate instruments. Such instruments could include non-disclosure agreements, licensing agreements, collaborative research agreements, or other contracts.
4. Disclosure and use of information
4.1 In line with paragraph 5, the participants acknowledge that the provision or exchange of scientific or technical information between and amongst the participants for the purpose of the memorandum activities will normally be made without restriction, provided that:
- such information is made available only if the rights of holders of the intellectual property rights are not infringed; and
- disclosure of information is consistent with national disclosure laws, regulation and policies of the sending Participant, including applicable export control laws and regulations.
4.2 In the event a participant finds it necessary to transfer information for which intellectual property or export control protection is to be maintained, such information will be specifically marked with a notice for the restrictions and conditions of use and further transfer.
4.3 The participants acknowledge that such scientific or technical information provided by the other participant is to be made available for use for the purposes of the memorandum activity for which it was provided and, unless otherwise restricted by the providing participant, for the receiving participants own internal research and development purposes. Any commercial use of such information will be the subject of a separate appropriate instruments to be negotiated by the effected participants and on a case-by-case basis.
4.4 In the event of discontinuation of this memorandum, matters under this paragraph 4 will continue to apply.
5. Confidentiality
5.1 The participants will maintain the confidentiality of information obtained from the other participant, and protect such confidential information against unauthorised disclosure, in line with the receiving participant‘s national laws, regulations and policies, where such information is marked confidential by the providing participant. The participants will ensure that such information is not subject to disclosure to any third party without prior written consent of the providing participant, subject to any legal, regulatory or governmental requirement of the receiving participant requiring disclosure. In such cases, the receiving Participant will seek to provide reasonable notice to the providing participant of the intention to disclose the information and will advise the third party to which the information is to be disclosed of its confidential nature.
5.2 For the purposes of this paragraph 5, confidential information will not include any information that:
- is already in the possession of the receiving participant without assuming confidential obligation;
- is in the public domain at the time of disclosure;
- is duly received by the receiving participant from a third party without assuming confidential obligation;
- is independently obtained or developed by the receiving participant without reference to the confidential information, which must be supported by evidence; or
- the disclosing participant has consented in writing to the disclosure of.
5.3 Where necessary, the participants may set out additional requirements regarding protection, use, and disclosure of confidential information in a specific implementing instruments for an activity or otherwise enter into separate written instruments regarding the exchange of any information necessitating confidentiality or considered sensitive by either participant. Such separate written instruments could include non-disclosure commitments or other equivalent measures.
5.4 Neither participant intends to provide or exchange information pursuant to this memorandum requiring protection in the interest of national security or foreign relations and classified in accordance with applicable national security laws and regulations. In the event it is subsequently discovered that information which is known or believed to require such protection is identified as having been furnished inadvertently in the course of a collaborative activity pursuant to this memorandum, the matter should be brought immediately to the attention of appropriate officials and the participants will consult to identify appropriate security measures to be mutually determined by the participants, in writing, and applied to this information.
5.5 In the event of discontinuation of this memorandum, matters under this paragraph 5 will continue to apply.
6. Protection of personal information
6.1 The participants do not intend that this memorandum will cover any sharing of information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable by the participants.
6.2 If the participants determine that any activity under an area of cooperation conducted under this memorandum may lead, or has led, to the sharing of personal information, each participant will comply with its own applicable privacy and data protection laws and regulations, which may require the participants to formulate written documents regarding the sharing of such personal information.
7. Publication
7.1 Each participant will coordinate with the other participant, as appropriate and in advance, with respect to a release of general information to the public which relates to the activities carried out consistent with the areas of cooperation under this memorandum. Appropriate written acknowledgement will be made by both participants of their respective roles in the activities.
8. Status of the memorandum
8.1 This memorandum is not intended to create any binding legal relationship between the Participants, nor are its matters set out herein/paragraphs intended to give rise to legal rights, obligations, or liabilities on the part of any of the participants.
8.2 Nothing in this memorandum will be interpreted or implemented in a manner that is contrary to, or inconsistent with, the respective international obligations and domestic laws and regulations of the participants.
9. Compliance with applicable laws
9.1 This memorandum and the activities conducted in connection with this memorandum will be implemented subject to, and in accordance with, the applicable national laws and regulations including export control laws and regulations of the participants’ respective jurisdictions and with applicable international agreements to which a participants’ government is party.
10. Resolution of Differences
10.1 Any differences arising out of or in connection with the interpretation, implementation or application of this memorandum will be resolved amicably through consultations between the participants, and will not be referred to any national or international court, tribunal or third party for settlement.
11. Modification
11.1 This memorandum may be modified at any time by the mutual written consent of the participants.
12. Commencement, duration and discontinuation
12.1 This memorandum may be signed by counterpart and will commence on the date of last signature of the Participants and will continue unless discontinued.
12.2 This memorandum represents the joint determination reached between the Participants and does not create any legally binding rights or obligations.
12.3 This memorandum may be discontinued by either participant giving at least six months’ written notice to the other participant. The participants will consult to determine how any outstanding matters should be dealt with.
12.4 Any implementing instruments for an activity arising from this memorandum which commenced prior to discontinuation of this memorandum will, notwithstanding the memorandum‘s discontinuation, continue until the completion of such collaborative activities, unless otherwise mutually determined in writing by the participants.
Signatories
Signed in duplicate at Sydney, Australia, on 27 July 2026 in the English language.
For the Department of Industry, Science and Resources of Australia:
The Hon Tim Ayres
Minister for Industry and Innovation, Minister for Science
Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Government of Australia
For the Cabinet Office of Japan:
The Hon Onoda Kimi
Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy
Cabinet Office Government of Japan