NPI Praises Department of Energy Announcement on Funding for New Quantum Centers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Photonics Initiative (NPI), a broad-based collaborative alliance among industry, academia, and government to raise awareness of optics, photonics and quantum science and technology, today praised an announcement from the U.S. Department of Energy that it will allocate up to $625 million over the next five years to establish two to five multidisciplinary Quantum Information Science Research Centers in support of the National Quantum Initiative.

“The Department of Energy’s critical investment in Quantum Research Centers further solidifies our country’s role as a global leader in the quantum field,” said Ed White, Chair of the NPI Steering Committee and Vice President Test, Assembly and Packaging for AIM Photonics. “This announcement presents a very exciting opportunity for research institutions focused on advancing quantum technology and capabilities. The NPI has long advocated for the National Quantum Initiative as essential to our nation’s innovation advantage, economic leadership and national security. We applaud the Department for making this commitment and look forward to working together to see these centers come to fruition.”

According to the announcement from the Department of Energy, each Center should “incorporate a collaborative research team spanning multiple scientific and engineering disciplines and multiple institutions.” More information on the announcement, including the full Funding Opportunity Announcement is available on the Department’s website.
 

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About the NPI: The National Photonics Initiative (NPI) is a collaborative alliance among industry, academia and government to raise awareness of photonics and the impact of photonics on our everyday lives; increase cooperation and coordination among US industry, government and academia to advance photonics-driven fields; and drive US funding and investment in areas of photonics critical to maintaining US economic competitiveness and national security. The initiative is being led by top scientific societies including the American Physical Society (APS), the IEEE Photonics Society, the Laser Institute of America (LIA), The Optical Society (OSA) and SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics. For more information visit www.lightourfuture.org.