US Department of Energy Will Fund Up to $625M for Quantum Information Centers

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will provide up to $625 million in funding over the next five years to establish two to five multidisciplinary Quantum Information Science (QIS) Research Centers in support of the National Quantum Initiative.

The National Quantum Initiative Act, signed into law in December 2018, established a coordinated multiagency program to support research and training in QIS. It encompasses activities at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the DOE, and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The act called for the creation of four to 10 competitively awarded QIS research centers. Each QIS Center is expected to incorporate a collaborative research team spanning multiple scientific and engineering disciplines and multiple institutions. Centers will draw on the resources of the full range of research communities stewarded by DOE’s Office of Science and will integrate elements from a wide range of technical fields.

Applications for funding opportunities should be in the form of multi-institutional proposals submitted by a single lead institution. Eligible lead and partner institutions include universities, nonprofit research institutions, industry, DOE national laboratories, other U.S. government laboratories, and federal agencies.

Funding awards will begin in fiscal year 2020 and last up to five years, with outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations. Selections will be made based on peer review. The full Funding Opportunity Announcement is available here.