Eight NSF research institutes to propel U.S. quantum science with $290M investment

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."

Of the eight institutes, three are newly formed. The other five were established with previous NSF funding and will receive renewed funding from NSF to continue their work. Each institute will receive between about $28 and $37 million over five years and is helmed by researchers in quantum information science.

Since 2020, the institutes have made major scientific strides in a range of areas, from finding new ways to make quantum computers to developing quantum sensors that could one day enable earlier detection of diseases. The institutes also serve as a productive nexus between scientists, federal science agencies, quantum technology companies and educational organizations.

"For more than four decades, NSF has been laying the foundational groundwork of research and discovery that is powering today's modern quantum computing, sensing and communication," said Brian Stone, Performing the Duties of the NSF Director. "It's time for focused activities to leverage that base of knowledge to drive us even farther forward to the benefit of all Americans. The NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes are a next step for us in understanding the quantum world we live in."

Quantum-based technologies, which use natural phenomena like entanglement and superposition, have the theoretical capacity to far outstrip so-called classical technologies commonly used today. For example, just as an electronic calculator can outperform an abacus, a functional quantum computer could theoretically outperform every supercomputer for certain types of tasks. Similarly, new types of quantum sensors could precisely measure properties far too subtle or even impossible for current technologies to detect. The NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes are focused on solving the many underlying scientific and technological challenges required for quantum devices to achieve such levels of performance.

Each institute is a broadly collaborative effort spanning academia, government and private industry. Through the eight institutes, funding from NSF will support researchers in 19 states at 36 institutions of higher education. The institutes' federal collaborators include multiple U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories, the U.S. Department of War and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. More than 30 U.S. companies are partnering with the institutes to help inform and accelerate the transfer of fundamental scientific results into products and techniques that can be used and scaled up for industrial production.

NSF is also funding the institutes' education and training programs to help grow the future U.S. scientific workforce. The institutes will collectively train hundreds of graduate students, undergraduate students and early career researchers over the next five years. The institutes carry out that training through partnerships and activities with community colleges, dozens of universities and high schools, and community science organizations. Their educational activities span internships and summer schools, K-12 teacher programs and unique mentorship opportunities with leading experts in quantum information research.

The NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes are:

NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Fault Tolerant Quantum Systems, Architectures and Applications (NSF FTQSAA)
NSF FTQSAA will investigate new methods to make quantum technologies more robust and resistant to the inherent fragility of quantum information. Their work will span experimentation with new software and hardware, including new materials that can be used to make quantum sensors and computers more reliable.

NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks (NSF HQAN)
NSF HQAN will tackle the science and engineering needed to create modular quantum computers that are interconnected and work together. Unlike a single quantum computer that uses a particular qubit technology, their modular approach will join different types of qubit technologies, each optimized for particular tasks to achieve enhanced performance. NSF first invested in NSF HQAN in 2020.

NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Manufacturable and Resilient Superconducting Quantum Information Systems (NSF MARQUIS)
NSF MARQUIS will use materials science, semiconductor fabrication techniques and other disciplines to develop Josephson junctions with improved abilities. Such junctions are key electronic components in quantum computers and other technologies that use superconducting qubits.

NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Physics and Engineering of Practical Quantum Error Correction (NSF PRACTIQAL)
NSF PRACTIQAL will create new and more effective methods to correct errors commonly encountered in quantum computing systems, thus increasing the usefulness and scalability of quantum computers broadly. Their research will span experimentation with hardware, algorithms and other software, and theoretical methods that can enable better error correction techniques for large-scale quantum computers that have yet to be made.

NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Quantum Computation (NSF CIQC)
NSF CIQC will discover and demonstrate new quantum algorithms and hardware architectures and use them to in turn discover new materials and methods that can enhance quantum computation. Their work spans a broad range of quantum computing techniques including neutral atoms, trapped ions and solid-state systems. NSF first invested in NSF CIQC in 2020.

NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Quantum Sensing for Biophysics and Bioengineering (NSF QuBBE)
NSF QuBBE will use quantum properties of nature, such as entanglement, to create sensors that can probe and measure biological processes with unprecedented sensitivity and accuracy. Their research includes the development of quantum nanoprobes, techniques to measure properties inside living cells and how such technologies can improve capabilities in biology and medicine. NSF first invested in NSF QuBBE in 2021.

NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Quantum Systems through Entangled Science and Engineering (NSF Q-SEnSE)
NSF Q-SEnSE will focus on fundamental science and technology development to achieve new precision sensing and measurement capabilities through experimental and theoretical research. Their work includes quantum simulations, solid-state systems, molecular sensors, new types of exceptionally precise atomic clocks and other innovations. NSF first invested in NSF Q-SEnSE in 2020.

NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation (NSF RQS)
NSF RQS will target the development and applications of quantum simulations that are valuable for scientific investigation of complex phenomena, industrial production of large-scale quantum technologies or both. Their work spans new algorithms, systems architecture, materials science and other areas. NSF first invested in NSF RQS in 2021.