A New NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center in Indiana: The Center for Quantum Technologies
The CQT will focus on a number of different themes within quantum technology development, including algorithms and architecture; security, finance, and business; materials design and chemistry; sensing and hardware; and communications and networks.
Grush: What are the grand challenges? Where can quantum make an impact on our lives?
Kais: The proposed research has the potential to transform the way the world lives and works. Almost every area of our lives will eventually be impacted by quantum science and engineering advances. Technologies developed could help save energy, speed up computation, enhance national security and defense, and innovate health care. Potential applications range from improving traffic flow, to securing banking, to optimizing material and drug designs, to improving detection of enemy military activity. Quantum technologies could lead to better agriculture yields, improve safety of self-driving cars, and help detect disease earlier. It is not hyperbole to say the possibilities are truly limitless.
The proposed research has the potential to transform the way the world lives and works. Almost every area of our lives will eventually be impacted by quantum science and engineering advances.
Grush: Would you say that the industry and government membership brings a kind of 'real-world' grounding to research agendas? And, will potentially competitive corporate members collaborate on projects?
Decca: The industry and government members definitely add a more use-inspired flavor to the research agendas. Our faculty are developing proposals that are of interest to our members, and as the center evolves, the projects will even be guided by members' input. So, while this is still academic research it certainly has corporate influence. To your second question, all the research is pre-competitive and shared across the membership. The members provide guidance and suggestions to our researchers, but they do not actually collaborate on the research projects.
Kais: I would add, as Peter and Gerardo discussed previously, we want to build a quantum ecosystem that allows collaborations to flourish outside of the specific research within the center. This could lead to more one-on-one or small group research projects that are of interest to a subset of our membership where IP could be more controlled.
Grush: Besides the research results, what other benefits do members receive?
Stewart: Great question, and there are many additional benefits. These include access to talent (our excellent students and researchers); risk mitigation, as they are sharing early-stage research risks with the other members; and lower research costs as the universities already have world-class facilities and infrastructure as well as lower human capital costs. There is also significant leverage on the investment as their membership fees are being pooled, overhead is waived, and NSF also provides funding. At the moment there is a 19:1 leverage on a full membership fee, which gives members access to significantly more research results than they would have sponsoring an individual project.
At the moment there is a 19:1 leverage on a full membership fee, which gives members access to significantly more research results than they would have sponsoring an individual project.
Ortiz: Other benefits include networking within the CQT ecosystem we are growing, and also, all members receive royalty-free, non-exclusive licenses to any IP produced in the center.
Kogge: I also want to expand on the access-to-talent benefit that David mentioned. Our students are truly our greatest output, and they will have significant interaction with our members. NSF likes to quote the statistic that 25 percent of IUCRC students eventually become employed at member companies, so this center gives our members the opportunity to build relationships with potential future employees.