MORE THAN 75 YEARS OF DISCOVERY AND INNOVATION AT NSF
In 2025, NSF commemorated its 75th anniversary of advancing U.S. leadership in science and
engineering. Since 1950, NSF investments have strengthened the research ecosystem, built the
science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce and ensured American leadership
in technologies that drive economic growth, safeguard health and enhance security. Quantum
information science is central to this mission, powering high-resolution MRI, semiconductor
technologies and fiber-optic networks, while future advances could accelerate drug discovery,
resource detection and precision navigation.
NSF PARTNERSHIPS IN QUANTUM RESEARCH
NSF collaborates with Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, the U.S. Department of Energy, the
National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Institutes of Health and
international allies such as the United Kingdom, Canada and France to advance quantum
computing, sensing, communication and their applications. These partnerships strengthen basic
research in advanced communications technologies, expand the research ecosystem, train the
quantum workforce, and reinforce U.S. leadership in critical and emerging technologies.
NSF QUANTUM PORTFOLIO
NSF drives cutting-edge research in quantum computing, sensing and networking, advancing
fundamental science, strengthening critical technologies, fostering public-private partnerships,
developing the domestic quantum workforce, and accelerating applications that reinforce U.S.
leadership and national advantage.
Bold investments by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) in quantum research and
innovation ensure America’s leadership in critical and emerging technologies that power modern
life. NSF support for foundational research translates into long-term economic, technological and
national security advantages, driving innovations such as GPS, MRI, smartphones and fiber-optic
internet, while continuing to explore new frontiers and translate discoveries into strategic impact.
DID YOU KNOW?
With NSF support, researchers at the Physics Frontiers Center for Ultracold Atoms and the
startup QuERA built a 48-qubit quantum computer prototype — named “Breakthrough of
the Year” by Physics World in 2024 — creating the most advanced quantum computer yet
and accelerating transformative advances in medicine, finance and other fields.
Learn more at: https://new.nsf.gov/focus-areas/quantum
$360M
NSF annual investment
in quantum information
science and engineering
(QISE) research, Fiscal
Year 2024.
11,000+
Faculty, students and
postdocs engaged in QISE
research funded by NSF.
300+
Universities and colleges
with active NSF QISE
grants in 2025.
380
Granted QISE patents
acknowledging NSF
funding.
47
Nobel laureates in
quantum science funded
by NSF, 1964-2024.
160+
NSF Graduate Research
Fellowship Program
fellows working on QISE
topics in 2025.
FAST FACTS
FACT SHEET
QUANTUM LEAP
Scientific Investments Transform Daily Life
CUTTING-EDGE SCIENCE AND COLLABORATIONS
NSF interdisciplinary research and translation: Programs such as the Quantum Leap
Challenge Institutes, Transformational Advances in Quantum Systems and Convergent
Accelerated Discovery Foundries accelerate discoveries, workforce development and
deployment of quantum technologies.
NSF nationwide quantum innovation: Initiatives such as Expanding Capacity in QISE, the
NSF National Quantum Virtual Laboratory, and NSF Convergence Accelerator Track C develop
infrastructure, technologies and applications — strengthening the research ecosystem and
reinforcing U.S. leadership in critical and emerging technologies.
Foundations: Early 2000s NSF-supported research on topological materials helped enable
methods for protecting quantum information, including technology behind Microsoft’s
Majorana-1 chip announced in 2025.
Error correction: In 2025, an NSF Physics Frontiers Center demonstrated a new system that
can detect and remove quantum errors below a key threshold — a step toward practical
quantum computing.
Scaling: Another NSF Physics Frontiers Center built a record-setting array of 6,100-qubit
neutral-atom array and moved atoms across a laser grid while maintaining superposition,
advancing scalable quantum systems.
Image credits from top: Indian River State College; Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance; Petty Officer 2nd
Class Grant DeVuyst./U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area; University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR); Courtesy of QuEra,
AdobeStock/ Oleksii; Lloyd DeGrane/ University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign/Chicago Quantum Exchange; USD Photo Services;
Brightlight Photonics; Rochester Institute of Technology, Carlos Ortiz; John Brecher for Microsoft
BUILDING ADVANCED QUANTUM COMPUTERS, NETWORKS,
ALGORITHMS AND WORKFORCE
NSF is making quantum computers and networks a reality while training a quantum-literate workforce:
NSF quantum innovation: Projects like Software-Tailored Architecture for Quantum Codesign
and the Engineering Research Center for Quantum Networks drive the development of
practical quantum computing and the creation of secure, reliable quantum networks.
NSF workforce and education initiatives: NSF trains the next generation of quantum-literate
scientists, engineers and educators through programs such as:
• Expanding Capacity in Quantum Information Science and Engineering
(ExpandQISE): Designed to increase research capacity and secure a robust talent
pipeline for the quantum field across the United States.
• National Q-12 Education Partnership (NSF and the Office of Science and
Technology Policy): Provides educators with materials, tools, and career
pathway support to strengthen quantum learning.
• NSF teacher training programs (e.g., Quantum Education for Students
and Teachers): Equip high school teachers with curriculum and
resources to bring QISE into the classroom. computer, while the NSF
Engineering Research Center for Quantum Networks , led by the
University of Arizona, is laying the foundations for a
socially-responsible quantum Internet.