Published: Jan. 15, 2019

19 collaborative quantum projects awarded a total of $780,000 in seed grants

The ֱ BoulderResearch & Innovation Office, in partnership with theCollege of Engineering and Applied Science, theCollege of Arts and Sciences,JILAand theNational Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), announced the results of a new Quantum Explorations in Science and Technology (QuEST)funding opportunity made available in October 2018to multi-disciplinary, trans-institutional research partnerships that will be competitive for future funding opportunities of the National Quantum Initiative and other quantum research solicitations.

The awards are part of a broader effort, the , that ֱ Boulder launched in January 2019 to reinforce ֱ’s prominence in quantum information science and technology, partner with regional universities and laboratories, collaborate with quantum-intensive companies, and serve a spectrum of local, regional and national interests, including workforce development.

Jun Ye, professor adjoint of physics and fellow of JILA and NIST, will serve asdirector of ֱbit.In addition to Ye, the ֱbit leadership team includes Associate Director Juliet Gopinath—associate professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering—and Executive Director Stephen ONeil.

“When we announced this seed grant opportunity, we believed the potential for highly innovative inter-department, inter-college collaborations in quantum information science and technologywas substantial,” saidONeil. “That was the case, even beyond our initial hopes, and we funded 19 collaborative quantum projects for a total of $780,000, about half of which have already begun to take advantage of national funding solicitations.”