SYDNEY, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Sydney is hoping to become the quantum science capital of the world, with four of the country's top universities combining their resources to create a Quantum Academy, and helping to take one of the world's most exciting branches of research from the lab to the real world.

The Sydney Quantum Academy (SQA) will combine the resources of Macquarie University, the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney University and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), with the New South Wales State government contributing 10.8 million dollars to the project, taking total investments so far to 24.6 million dollars.

"Sydney already has a very high concentration of world leading expertise in quantum computing technologies," Professor Michael Bremner from the Centre for Quantum Software and Information at UTS told Xinhua on Monday.

"Really importantly we also have expertise across the entire spectrum of skills in quantum computing, from device fabrication at the atomic level, through to software engineering and application development."

At the heart of the initiative is the collaboration between the theoretical and practical disciplines, which Bremner said is especially crucial at this stage in quantum science.

Students and scientists can collaborate and benefit from the specialised expertise of the different institutions.

"For example a student studying quantum software engineering at UTS, might be able to learn about device fabrication at UNSW, or software engineering at Sydney University," Bremner said.

The SQA will also seek to act as a nexus for collaboration between industry and the research sector, connecting students with startup projects and internships, and working directly with businesses to incorporate the technology into their operations.

"Near term, quantum computers that are going to be developed over the next five to ten years, in order to work with them you actually need quite a strong understanding of the underlying specifics of how the quantum processor works," he said.

For this reason, Bremner believed the SQA could prove invaluable in helping to transition Australia and its global partners into the quantum age.