UT at Chattanooga awarded $3.5 million in grant funding to advance its quantum initiatives
The funding from an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce will be awarded over a four-year period in support of four distinct focus areas.
Advancing quantum science is a national priority of the federal government, and a proposal to establish the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) Quantum Center has been awarded $3.5 million from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
The funding from NIST, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, will be awarded over a four-year period in support of four distinct focus areas, according to UTC Vice Chancellor for Research Reinhold Mann. Those are infrastructure; education and outreach; use of case-driven research and development; and business development to ensure the Center’s sustainability.
Dr. Reinhold Mann
“In 2022, UTC started an initiative to establish a program of excellence in Quantum Information Science and Engineering, or QISE, with a strong focus on education and workforce development, and to establish use cases for QISE in Urban Systems and Energy Systems. This includes innovation in cybersecurity, AI (artificial intelligence), mobility and transportation, safe and resilient energy supply and related applications,” Mann said.
“Since then, UTC has become a member of the Chattanooga Quantum Collaborative, has established an access node on campus to the first commercial quantum network in the United States—created by EPB—and with this funding will be able to accelerate the evolution of the quantum initiative into a Quantum Center.
“The focus on quantum information science and engineering is a new direction for UTC. The Quantum Center represents important opportunities for our students, the community and UTC research collaborations with other institutions.”
The infrastructure aspect of the Quantum Center involves resources necessary for connecting and adapting to the EPB quantum network as it continues to develop.
The project’s education focus involves both curriculum and advanced degrees at UTC, as well as community outreach and engagement.
“Within the next year, we plan to add courses to our certificate program in Quantum Information Science and Engineering so as to offer a minor in QISE,” Mann said. “Soon thereafter, we plan to offer M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in QISE.”
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