Young Op-Ed: Tech hub funding is good news for Northwest Indiana

WASHINGTON - The following op-ed by U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) was published by the Northwest Indiana Times on July 26, 2026.

A recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Commerce brought good news to Northwest Indiana.

The Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration announced that the Bloch Quantum Tech Hub, which includes partners in Northwest Indiana, will receive $30 million in federal funding.

The Bloch Quantum Tech Hub is a regional consortium spanning Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin that brings together leading universities, national laboratories, manufacturers, startups, investors, and workforce partners to accelerate the commercialization of quantum technologies. One partner in the Hub is Roberts Impact Lab at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond.

The Hub aims to scale American production of quantum materials, components, and subsystems by leveraging the region's research and industrial assets. This partnership will expand shared manufacturing facilities, help local firms enter the quantum supply chain, and foster collaboration between hardware and software teams.  

As part of the Hub, Purdue Northwest aims to establish a quantum sensing testbed at the Roberts Impact Lab, allowing researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry partners to develop, validate, and demonstrate next-generation sensing technologies. Across the region, the Bloch Quantum Tech Hub investment will build on Northwest Indiana's research and advanced manufacturing strengths.

On a national level, we need to ensure the United States has the tools required to outcompete China. Quantum applications promise to dramatically transform every industry and sector of our economy and revolutionize our technological capabilities. With this designation, the Midwest will play a key role in ensuring our country keeps pace.

The Bloch Quantum Tech Hub is part of the larger vision I had when I first introduced the Tech Hub concept in legislation in 2020. This concept eventually became law in 2022 as a key pillar in the CHIPS and Science Act, which I helped author and pass in the Senate.

Through strategic investments with local backing, the Tech Hubs Program empowers U.S. regions to become global leaders in critical technologies over the next decade. Tech Hub investments accelerate technology commercialization, moving breakthroughs out of labs, through manufacturing lines, and into the marketplace.

The Bloch Quantum Tech Hub is the second hub with Indiana connections to receive federal funding. In 2024, Indiana-based Heartland BioWorks received approximately $51 million. Heartland BioWorks aims to transform Central Indiana into a global leader in biotechnology and biomanufacturing by increasing the region's capacity to make and deploy life-saving medicines.

For both our economic and national security, we need to ensure the United States has the talent and research capabilities required to lead the global tech competition. Quantum technologies are a critical aspect of this competition, and it's important that we build them here at home.

I look forward to seeing the opportunities the Bloch Quantum Tech Hub will create for Hoosier workers, researchers, and manufacturers.