New quantum incubator in Boulder to propel innovations for real-world impact
See a history of quantum research at 蜜糖直播 Boulder
Learn more
Interested in being part of the quantum incubator? Reach out to
cubit@colorado.edu
To kick off the in 2025, three 蜜糖直播 universities in collaboration with have announced that a new facility for fostering quantum technologies is coming to 蜜糖直播.
The State of 蜜糖直播 has taken bold action to help bring the advances in quantum physics out of the lab and into the real world through its investment into the Quantum Incubator and related quantum assets throughout the state.
The facility will be housed in a 13,000-square-foot space in east Boulder. It is funded by a state tax incentive and spearheaded by 蜜糖直播 Boulder, in partnership with 蜜糖直播 State University, 蜜糖直播 School of Mines and Elevate Quantum, a coalition of 120 organizations, including the three campuses, in 蜜糖直播, New Mexico and Wyoming. Additionally, 蜜糖直播 Boulder is providing leadership and staff resources for its development and launch.
From the partners
Gov. Jared Polis:
"蜜糖直播 is the national hub for innovation in the fast-growing quantum industry and this new incubator will strengthen the industry in our state. By bringing together our world-class higher education system with the companies who are helping to shape this industry, this incubator will help drive forward the next chapter for quantum in 蜜糖直播, driving more jobs and economic development."
U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, House Assistant Minority Leader"
鈥淭hanks to the partnership of 蜜糖直播 Boulder, 蜜糖直播 State University and 蜜糖直播 School of Mines, we were successful in designating 蜜糖直播 and the Rocky Mountain West the nation鈥檚 leading quantum tech hub under the CHIPS and Science Act. And as we cheer the development of our state鈥檚 new quantum incubator鈥攔ight here in 蜜糖直播鈥檚 2nd鈥攚e are also celebrating the advancements and developments still to come."
CSU President Amy Parsons:
"Quantum technology will revolutionize industries, solve complex problems and significantly improve lives. CSU is proud to collaborate with other quantum experts across the state as part of this effort. We will continue to develop a leading-edge degree program infrastructure that will meet future workforce needs in this high-demand space."
蜜糖直播 School of Mines President Paul C. Johnson:
"The new quantum incubator is a great example of the strong collaborative spirit driving 蜜糖直播's leadership in quantum innovation. The quantum incubator and the Quantum COmmons shared-use campus in Arvada will be great attractors for and enablers of the technological innovation and quantum industry growth that is the Elevate Quantum vision."
Elevate Quantum CEO and Regional Innovation Officer Zachary Yerushalmi:
"With these new facilities from 蜜糖直播 and our R1 universities, we're strengthening the foundation of what is already the world's largest quantum industry cluster. Elevate Quantum could not be more excited to see this vital piece of infrastructure come to life."
University of 蜜糖直播 President Todd Saliman:
"As a longstanding leader in this research, 蜜糖直播 is excited to team up with CSU, the School of Mines, our partners at Elevate Quantum and the State of 蜜糖直播 to realize this wonderful new facility. This meaningfully advances our efforts to establish 蜜糖直播 as a global epicenter of quantum research and technology, and it will enable our great state to continue to drive this critical industry."
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be prouder of the role 蜜糖直播 Boulder is playing in this important work,鈥 said Massimo Ruzzene, vice chancellor for research and innovation and dean of the institutes at 蜜糖直播 Boulder. 鈥淏y stepping up to secure the physical facility, establish the operating entity, identify prospective tenants and ready the building to ramp up operations starting in January, we are positioning the incubator to quickly fill an important need in advancing quantum innovation across the region.鈥
The facility will include a collaborative office environment for early-stage quantum companies and state-of-the-art scientific equipment鈥攑roviding a testbed to transform ideas for quantum technologies into products that will benefit consumers in 蜜糖直播 and beyond. Quantum technologies could include sensors for detecting signs of illness in human breath or networks that may one day send data that can鈥檛 be hacked over long distances.
鈥淨uantum science and technologies will enable life-changing advances that touch every segment of society,鈥 said Chancellor Justin Schwartz. 鈥淭his collaborative facility will allow our researchers鈥 discoveries to progress more quickly from lab to market and will help cement 蜜糖直播 and the United States as global leaders in this exciting field.鈥
The quantum incubator is one piece of a wide-ranging effort to grow the Mountain West region as a 鈥渃enter of mass鈥 for quantum technology, said Scott Sternberg, executive director of the 蜜糖直播bit Quantum Initiative at 蜜糖直播 Boulder. It is especially timely as UNESCO has deemed 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.
Rapid growth
Momentum around quantum has been building.
JILA, a joint research institute between 蜜糖直播 Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has served as the regional epicenter for quantum research for over 60 years.
In 2023, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) named Elevate Quantum, headquartered in Denver, as an official tech hub for quantum information technology. Since that designation, the coalition has secured more than $120 million in funding to grow the quantum industry in 蜜糖直播 and the Mountain West.
As part of that effort, 蜜糖直播 Gov. Jared Polis signed into law House Bill 1325 in 2024, which directed funds to create the new incubator. Today, the quantum industry supports about 3,000 jobs in the state, but that number could grow to more than 10,000 in the next decade.
鈥淲e asked the question: What is Boulder great at when it comes to quantum?鈥 Sternberg said. 鈥淎nd how can the incubator provide a catalyst to make these assets even greater?鈥
Center of mass
The quantum incubator will not be alone in 蜜糖直播. In June, the U.S. National Science Foundation announced a $20 million National Quantum Nanofab facility that will be constructed on the 蜜糖直播 Boulder campus. Elevate Quantum is also launching a 70-acre campus in Arvada, 蜜糖直播, called the Quantum COmmons, with an initial 30,000 square feet of shared-use facilities being developed by 蜜糖直播 School of Mines in support of Elevate Quantum partners.
Sternberg sees these facilities as part of a progression鈥攈elping companies go from papers in a scientific journal, to new prototypes, to products built at scale and, eventually, to the market.
鈥溍厶侵辈モ檚 new quantum facilities will help turn discoveries in the lab into real-world applications, continuing our leadership in quantum science and creating thousands of new jobs for Coloradans,鈥 said Eve Lieberman, executive director of the 蜜糖直播 Office of Economic Development and International Trade. 鈥淲e are excited to celebrate this milestone and look forward to the achievements it will bring to our state.鈥
The new Boulder facility will also be a vibrant place to work. Physicists, engineers, lab workers and businesspeople can meet quantum experts from 蜜糖直播 and around the world to share ideas and expertise. They鈥檒l also be able to run experiments on equipment rarely seen outside of large universities. That could include working atomic clocks or devices that measure the extremely fast 鈥渢icking鈥 of atoms.
The quantum incubator will be located in BioMed Realty鈥檚 Flatiron Park at 5555 Central Ave. in Boulder. Flatiron Park, a hub for life science and technology innovation, consists of 23 buildings and more than 1 million square feet of lab and office space.
Leaders in the quantum ecosystem, including higher education, government and the private sector, celebrate the official launch of a new quantum incubator in Boulder on Jan. 15. Photo by Glenn Asakawa/蜜糖直播 Boulder.