Air Force Research Laboratory joins Quantum Economic Development Consortium

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – The Air Force Research Laboratory has announced that it is joining the Quantum Economic Development Consortium, established in 2018 as a direct result of the National Quantum Initiative Act.

The mission of the QED-C is to identify gaps and support enabling technology research and development to enhance the quantum ecosystem in order to facilitate industry coordination and interaction with U.S. Government agencies and to provide the government with a collective industry voice in guiding R&D investment priorities, use cases, and quantum workforce issues.

Nearly 100 organizations have joined the QED-C including large corporations, academic institutions, government organizations, start-ups and professional organizations. The consortium is led by the National Institute of Standards (NIST). In addition to NIST, AFRL joins the ranks of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation as government members and serves as the Department of Defense representative organization on the QED-C.

AFRL is the scientific research and development center for the Air Force, playing an integral role in the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for the air, space, and cyberspace force. AFRL has long recognized quantum information science (QIS) as a game changing technology that has far-reaching implications on national security and has key R&D programs in quantum timing, sensing, communications and computing.

“It is a tremendous honor for AFRL and the Information Directorate to serve as a representative to give strategic guidance to the consortium,” said Col. Timothy Lawrence, Director, AFRL Information Directorate.

The Information Directorate is the lead for AFRL on the QED-C and is currently developing the Open Innovation Center (OIC) at the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome, New York, further accelerating the development of quantum technology. The OIC is scheduled to open in April 2020 and will allow AFRL to more easily collaborate with non-traditional and international partners, small business and academia all working together to further the development of this critical technology. SUNY is one of AFRL’s key strategic partners in the OIC as well as in the continued overall development of the quantum high-tech ecosystem in New York State and the Mohawk Valley.