The Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) has received a $1 million grant from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) to bolster quantum technologies in the Midwest. The grant will be used to develop strategies for translating lab research into real-world applications and training workers for the quantum economy. Quantum technologies, which utilize the properties of nature’s most minor scales, could revolutionize society by enabling secure communications, financial transactions, and accelerated drug discovery. David Awschalom, the director of the CQE, emphasized the need to grow commercialization activities and build a workforce to meet the growing demand for quantum technologies.
NSF Grants $1M to Midwest Quantum Coalition
The Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) has been awarded a $1 million grant from the US National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) Development Award. This award is aimed at strengthening the quantum ecosystem in the Chicago region by deepening partnerships and enhancing workforce and economic development plans. The grant will be used by the multi-sector coalition to develop data-driven strategies that will translate lab research into real-world applications and train workers for the rapidly expanding quantum economy.
Quantum technologies, which exploit the unique properties of nature at its smallest scales, have the potential to revolutionize society. They can enable secure communications, safeguard financial transactions, accelerate drug discovery, optimize supply chains, and more. The NSF Engines award recognizes the Chicago region’s significant role in the development of these technologies and its potential to further contribute to the quantum future.
Quantum Technologies: A Key to Economic and National Security
David Awschalom, the Liew Family Professor of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, the director of the CQE, and the principal investigator of the NSF Engines project, emphasized the importance of the Chicago region in the development of quantum technologies. He stated that these technologies could significantly strengthen economic and national security. However, to achieve these goals, it is necessary to expand commercialization activities and build a workforce capable of meeting the growing demand. The NSF Engines award is a crucial step towards addressing these needs.
The NSF Engines Development award is part of the inaugural NSF Engines competition, a program established by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The program aims to ensure that the US remains globally competitive in key technology areas.
Chicago: A Major Player in Quantum Technologies
The NSF award follows the recent designation of the Chicago region as a US Tech Hub for quantum technologies by the White House and the US Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). As part of the Tech Hubs program, another CQE-led coalition is competing for up to $70 million for projects to develop quantum technology solutions for pressing societal challenges by accelerating industry adoption.
Both the EDA designation and the NSF award underscore the Chicago region’s significant contribution to US leadership in quantum technologies. Collaborations among colleges and universities, industry leaders, national labs, state and municipal governments, and economic and workforce development nonprofits facilitate this role.
The Chicago Quantum Exchange: A Catalyst for Quantum Innovation
The CQE, based at the University of Chicago and anchored by the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Northwestern University, includes more than 40 corporate, international, nonprofit, and regional partners. All CQE members and many of its partners, along with governments, colleges, and other stakeholders, are part of the NSF Engines project. Many are also part of The Bloch Quantum, the group competing for Tech Hubs funding.
The Chicago region, which has already received millions of dollars in corporate and government investment, is home to some of the world’s leading experts in quantum information science, a broad and well-distributed industry base, a vibrant startup culture that includes the nation’s first quantum startup accelerator, four of the 10 National Quantum Initiative Act research centers, and infrastructure that includes one of the nation’s longest quantum networks.
Quantum Technologies: A Priority for Illinois
In a recent show of support for quantum technologies, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker requested state legislators for half a billion dollars for quantum technologies in his FY2025 budget proposal. This request underscores the importance of quantum technologies to the state and the region’s potential to become a global leader in this field.
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