Understanding and wielding the quantum properties of nature is the ambitious objective of eight research institutes that will collectively receive more than $290 million from the U.S. National Science Foundation. The investment is an expansion of the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes program, which NSF created in 2020 as part of the agency’s strategy to fulfill the 2018 “National Quantum Initiative Act.”

(January 15, 2025) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is announcing that $625 million is available to support National Quantum Information Science Research Centers. These centers, which are multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary teams, will accelerate the transformational advances in basic science and quantum-based novel-technology platforms needed to develop world-leading capabilities in Quantum Information Science (QIS), and in support of the National Quantum Initiative Act. Each center will integrate multiple levels of innovation, blending basic research, engineering, and technology development in a co-design framework. The centers will deliver prototype novel-technology platforms, capabilities, and major scientific breakthroughs that, in the future, can be further developed into a resource or user-facility capability for the entire QIS R&D community.

(September 5, 2024) Ten Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) have been funded in nine states by the U.S. Department of Energy. ERFCs are designed to bring together world-class teams of scientists for groundbreaking fundamental research, including research in quantum information science (QIS). Three of the announced EFRC projects are focused on strengthening our understanding of QIS toward the goal of improving future energy technologies. Projects include quantum photonic integrated design, molecular quantum transduction, and quantum sensing and quantum materials.

(August 30, 2024) This week, NSF released an updated solicitation for the next phase of the Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes program. Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes (QLCI) are large-scale interdisciplinary research projects motivated by major challenges at the frontiers of quantum information science and technology. The establishment of new QLCI or the renewal of existing QLCI may be proposed in response to Solicitation NSF 24-599. Proposals in both cases will be considered in a single merit review process. The QLCI program directors will hold an informational webinar about the QLCI program solicitation NSF 24-599 on Tuesday, December 3rd, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. NSF program directors will describe the program and answer questions.

Highlighting the LPS Qubit Collaboratory

Highlighting the Fermilab-led Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center