- August 04, 2026
- By Maryland Today Staff
Quantum World Congress on Monday announced the University of Maryland as the 2026 lead academic partner for the international conference, which will be held Sept. 23-25 at The Hotel at the University of Maryland in College Park.
The partnership reflects both UMD’s decades of leadership in quantum science and technology and Quantum World Congress’ move into the heart of Maryland’s rapidly expanding quantum ecosystem. Anchored by UMD, College Park has become a national center of gravity for quantum research, commercialization and real-world deployment.
UMD President Darryll J. Pines is a longtime champion of Quantum World Congress and a leading voice in advancing Maryland’s role as the Capital of Quantum. At Quantum World Congress 2025 in Tysons, Va., Pines delivered a keynote outlining how UMD and its partners are turning decades of foundational research into practical quantum impact.
"We are tremendously excited and proud to welcome the global quantum community to the Capital of Quantum," Pines said of the new announcement. "We have spent decades advancing the science that is now driving one of the world's most dynamic quantum ecosystems. Quantum World Congress is bringing together the world's leading minds to accelerate discovery, inspire the next generation of talent, and forge the partnerships that will shape the emerging quantum economy.”
UMD is home to one of the world’s largest concentrations of quantum scientists and engineers, with more than 350 researchers advancing quantum computing, cryptography, materials, networking, sensing and related disciplines. A growing quantum business ecosystem centered in Discovery District Maryland includes the headquarters of quantum computing firm IonQ, born from UMD research, and a planned Microsoft quantum research lab, along with a growing roster of startups.
The announcement comes during a period of major quantum momentum for Maryland and the Greater Washington region. In 2025, Gov. Wes Moore launched the $1 billion Capital of Quantum initiative, anchored by UMD, to accelerate quantum research, commercialization, infrastructure and workforce development.
The 2026 event will bring global quantum leaders directly into the ecosystem where research institutions, federal partners, startups, established companies, investors, policymakers and workforce pipelines are already converging.
“Quantum World Congress was created to connect the people and institutions moving quantum from promise to practice,” said George Thomas, CEO of Connected DMV. “There is no better place to host that conversation in 2026 than College Park, and no better academic partner than the University of Maryland.”