The US National Science Foundation announced yesterday that it is funding three new research institutes for quantum technologies. In a center for quantum science and technologies led by the University of Colorado and funded with a total of 25 million dollars, Peter Zoller's research group is the only international partner involved.
The new center will be led by physicist Jun Ye and is a partnership with 10 other research organizations in the United States. The University of Innsbruck is the only international partner involved in the center. Together, these pioneers will explore several "grand challenges." They include how exotic quantum phenomena, such as quantum entanglement, will advance new frontiers in measurement science; how quantum sensing can help researchers to discover new fundamental physics; and how researchers can turn those advancements into real-world technologies. The University of Innsbruck is the only international partner involved in the center.
Over the next few years, the USA will invest a total of 75 million US dollars in the three new research centers. "All over the world, large sums are currently being invested in the development of quantum technologies. By establishing these research institutes, the USA is once again sending a clear signal of the importance these technologies will have for the future. It is a special honor for us to be the only international partner in this new research center", emphasizes Prof. Peter Zoller from the Department of Experimental Physics at the University of Innsbruck and the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.