Plate Nº 69 · recorded October 10, 2026
Science Policy & FundingReported finding
NSF to invest $290 million in eight U.S. quantum institutes
The NSF will pour $290 million over five years into eight quantum research institutes, including three new hubs, to advance sensors, computers and networks based on quantum physics.
By Elena Vasquez3 min read683 words
In brief
- NSF will invest more than $290 million over five years across eight quantum research institutes.
- Three of the eight institutes are new; five were first funded in 2020 or 2021.
- Each institute will receive between roughly $28 million and $37 million.
- The program funds researchers at 36 universities across 19 states, with more than 30 U.S. companies as partners.
- The Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes program was created in 2020 to carry out the 2018 National Quantum Initiative Act.
The U.S. National Science Foundation will channel more than $290 million over five years into eight research institutes working to turn quantum physics into practical technology, the agency announced.
The money expands the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes program, created in 2020 to carry out the 2018 National Quantum Initiative Act. Three of the eight institutes are new. The other five, first backed in 2020 or 2021, will receive renewed support.
Each institute will receive between roughly $28 million and $37 million. Together, the network will fund researchers at 36 universities across 19 states. More than 30 U.S. companies and federal partners — including Department of Energy national laboratories, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Department of War — will also take part.
What is quantum technology and why is it hard?
Quantum devices exploit two unusual behaviors that appear only at very small scales. Entanglement ties particles together so that measuring one instantly shapes the result of measuring the other, even across long distances. Superposition lets a particle occupy many states at once instead of just one. Together, those effects could let a quantum computer solve certain problems far faster than today's most powerful supercomputers, or let a quantum sensor detect signals too faint for any classical instrument.
Harnessing them is not simple. Quantum states are extremely fragile, and the engineering required to build stable, large-scale machines remains in its infancy.
What has the program produced since 2020?
The institutes have reported a range of advances since the program began. Researchers have developed new ways to build quantum computers and have prototyped quantum sensors that could one day allow earlier disease detection.
Brian Stone, who is performing the duties of the NSF Director, framed the expansion as the next phase of a long-running effort.
"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," Stone said. "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."
What will the three new institutes tackle?
The three new institutes focus on engineering roadblocks that stand between today's small quantum prototypes and reliable, large-scale machines:
- NSF FTQSAA will study new software, hardware and materials that make quantum devices more robust against the inherent fragility of quantum information.
- NSF MARQUIS will use semiconductor fabrication techniques to improve Josephson junctions, tiny electronic components at the heart of quantum computers that use superconducting circuits.
- NSF PRACTIQAL will develop error-correction methods so that large future quantum computers can run reliably without being derailed by noise.
What will the five renewed institutes keep working on?
The five renewed institutes continue lines of research NSF first backed between 2020 and 2021:
- NSF HQAN (since 2020) will connect different types of quantum hardware into modular machines that work together.
- NSF CIQC (since 2020) will design new quantum algorithms and hardware using neutral atoms, trapped ions and solid-state devices.
- NSF Q-SEnSE (since 2020) will pursue precision sensors, quantum simulations and exceptionally accurate atomic clocks.
- NSF QuBBE (since 2021) will build quantum nanoprobes capable of measuring processes inside living cells.
- NSF RQS (since 2021) will develop quantum simulations useful for both basic physics research and industrial-scale production.
What else will the money pay for?
Education is built into the program. Over the next five years, the institutes will collectively train hundreds of graduate students, undergraduates and early-career researchers. Activities will run through partnerships with community colleges, dozens of universities, and community science organizations, and will include internships, summer schools, K-12 teacher programs, and mentorship with leading quantum researchers.
The expansion adds three new engineering-focused institutes to a program that, since 2020, has produced what NSF describes as major scientific strides in areas ranging from new methods of building quantum computers to quantum sensors aimed at earlier disease detection.
via congress.gov (Original)
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