NSF Announces Two Additional Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes with Funding of $25 Million for Each

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is adding two additional Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes to join the three institutes previously announced last year. The first is the Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation led by the University of Maryland with collaborators from historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) Morgan State University and North Carolina Central University. This institute will develop theoretical concepts, design innovative hardware, and provide education and training for a suite of novel simulation devices that can predict and understand quantum phenomena. The team working on this will combine expertise in computer science, engineering, and physics, the team will address the grand challenge of robustly simulating classically intractable quantum systems of practical interest by exploring the theoretical foundations of quantum algorithms and error correction in conjunction with experimental implementations of reconfigurable quantum simulators on four leading hardware platforms. Additional information about this new Quantum Leap Challenge Institute fore Robust Quantum Simulation can be seen in a news release from the University of Maryland that you can see here and also the award notice published by the NSF available here.

The second institute is the Quantum Leap Challenge Institute in Biophysics and Bioengineering led by the University of Chicago and will partner with researchers from Chicago State University, University of Illinois at Chicago and Harvard University. This institute will have a dual mission. The first is to identify novel biological quantum sensing systems and develop next-generation tools for observation and discovery. They will create new types of biocompatible quantum sensors and embed these quantum sensors within biological systems to extract new information and gain control over biological processes that, until now, have been beyond reach. The second will be to partner with Chicago Public Schools to establish a Quantum Academy (for K-12) and Quantum Institute (post-secondary workforce training) programs that provide students the opportunities to learn the foundations of quantum science from the institute’s lead researchers. The programs will also match trainees with potential employers in quantum technology fields. Additional information about this Quantum Leap Challenge Institute can be found in a news release provided by the University of Chicago available here and also the award notice published by the NSF that can be seen here.

The funding for both these institutes is expected to cover a five year period from September 2021 to August 2026. You can view NSF's announcement about the launch of these two new institutes on the NSF website here. You can also see an overview of the Quantum Leap Institute program located on the NSF website here.

September 3, 2021