NIST Renews Funding for Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science

The Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS)—a research powerhouse focused on quantum computation, quantum communication and quantum cryptography—recently received a renewal of federal funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The interdisciplinary center, launched in 2014 as a partnership between the University of Maryland and NIST, is expected to receive up to $12.2 million over the next five years. The funding will sustain and advance the mission of QuICS, with University of Maryland faculty members in computer science and physics working side by side with NIST scientists on theoretical and experimental research.

In addition to the renewal in federal funding, UMD will provide $2 million over the next five years in support of QuICS. Part of that funding will come from the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, which delivers technical and administrative support for QuICS.

With its renewed financial support, QuICS expects to grow its research agenda to address emerging topics like quantum computer architectures, quantum software stacks, characterization and benchmarking of complex quantum devices, and quantum algorithms for quantum chemistry.

The center also plans to significantly expand its human resources. Following recent renovations that doubled QuiCS’ physical size on campus, there are plans to hire additional QuICS Fellows—a combination of UMD faculty and federal scientists from NIST embedded at UMD—as well as more postdoctoral scholars, graduate students and support staff.