Air Force Research Lab Seeking Quantum Research Proposal with $500 Million Potential Funding

Insider Summary

• The Air Force Research Lab will add $500 million in funding over a five-year period to support quantum research.
• The Lab has issued an announcement requesting white papers for Quantum Information Science research, design, development, concept testing, evaluation, and experimentation
• The aims of this program are to: to advance and assess advanced algorithm designs and technologies, to take advantage of emerging quantum computing techniques and to investigate entanglement distributions.

Air Force Research Laboratory – Information Directorate (AFRL/RI) anticipates $500 million in funding over a five year period to support quantum research.

The goals of this effort are to: advance and assess advanced algorithm designs and technologies, leverage emerging quantum computing techniques, and investigate the distribution of entanglement across heterogeneous quantum networks in support of AFRL/RI’s C4I mission.

laboratory has been issued Wide Body Announcement (BAA) requested a white paper for research, design, development, concept testing, evaluation, and experimentation of Quantum Information Science supporting information and communication technology and engineering related to Command, Control, Communication, Computing & Intelligence (C4I).

Research supporting this portfolio will include Algorithms and Quantum Computing, Memory Node-Based Quantum Networks, Quantum Information Processing, Heterogeneous Quantum Platforms, and Quantum Information Science. The technology will have internal and contract based requirements to support the overall mission of the RITQ branch.

In addition, AFRL/RI is interested in developing a community of users around this new technology, consisting of other US Government organizations (federal, state, and local), US Government commercial industry and contractors, and academics (both public and private).

This BAA, which is a continuation of BAA FA8750-20-S-7006 entitled Quantum Information Sciences, has an estimated funding of approximately $499,999,999 million. Individual awards usually do not exceed 36 months and dollar amounts typically range from $0.5 million to $27 million. There is also the potential to award up to $99.9 million.

Several awards are anticipated. However, Air Force reserves the right to award zero, one, or more Procurement Contracts, Assistance Instruments, or Other Transactions, for all, some, or no effort requested based on the offeror’s ability to perform the desired work and funding fluctuations. There is no limit to the amount of overtime that can be provided to an individual offerer.

This BAA presents an exciting opportunity for researchers and innovators to collaborate and advance the field of Quantum Information Science to support the Air Force’s C4I mission. Interested parties can submit their white paper by the deadline specified in the BAA.

You can find more information Here.