Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park Announces On-Ramp Sites

Insider Brief
- Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park announced that mHUB, along with facilities at the UChicago Science Incubator and the Discovery Partners Institute, will host its On-Ramp program to provide interim lab space for future park tenants.
- The program allows quantum companies to access labs, cryostats, optical suites, fiber infrastructure, and ecosystem support in Illinois prior to the park’s full opening.
- Initial On-Ramp tenants include IBM, Pasqal, Diraq, and Quantum Machines, with permanent IQMP facilities expected to open after construction completes.
PRESS RELEASE — Today, the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP), a first-of-its-kind park built for quantum technology scale-up and advanced microelectronics research and development, announced that mHUB will host the IQMP’s On-Ramp program, with additional On-Ramp facilities provided at the UChicago Science Incubator at Hyde Park Labs and at the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI), the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Grainger College of Engineering space in downtown Chicago. On-Ramp allows companies who will ultimately be tenants at the IQMP to enter and leverage the Chicago and Illinois quantum ecosystem immediately by temporarily locating at local innovation facilities.
“Illinois continues to lead the quantum economy by removing barriers and accelerating opportunity,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The On-Ramp program ensures that tenants of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park can access lab space, equipment, and collaboration partners immediately — keeping innovation moving and strengthening our global competitiveness. This is how we secure Illinois’ place at the forefront of one of the most transformative technologies of our time.”
The On-Ramp site at mHUB alone includes four quantum labs with specialized equipment, such as cryostats, control electronics, lasers and optical tables. Tenants will also have access to technical and programmatic support, mHUB’s expansive prototyping equipment, and a collaborative entrepreneurial community.
“On-Ramp ensures that companies choosing to make the IQMP their home do not have to wait until our doors are open to begin building, hiring and collaborating here in Illinois,” said Harley Johnson, Executive Director and CEO of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. “By providing immediate access to specialized facilities, equipment, and ecosystem partners, we are accelerating innovation and reinforcing Illinois’ position as a global quantum destination. We are grateful to our partners for providing additional space for our tenants to get to work, and are thrilled to welcome them to Illinois. ”
The mHUB facility expands the portfolio of spaces available to quantum companies in Illinois, building on the momentum from the 2025 launch of Hyde Park Labs and the Bluefors lab at mHUB. Additionally, the UChicago Science Incubator facility provides move-in ready lab space with optical suites, cryostat capacity, and direct access to the 124-mile fiber optic quantum loop, loop, and innovation programming provided by the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Early quantum tenants of the Incubator include memQ, Quantum Machines, Bluefors, and stac12.
“The On-Ramp program ensures that innovative companies can establish operations, create high-quality jobs, and begin collaborating with our world-class research institutions and industry partners right away,” said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Kristin Richards. “DCEO is proud to support this initiative as we strengthen Illinois’ position as a premier destination for next-generation technology companies and drive inclusive economic growth across the state.”
Renovations at the mHUB space are being supported by grant funding from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Construction at mHUB will be complete in Spring 2026. Once the permanent facilities at the IQMP are open, IQMP tenants will relocate to the Park and mHUB will utilize the space for future tenants in need of space for advanced research and development.
“mHUB is thrilled to welcome the IQMP On-Ramp Program as an anchor tenant of its new Deep Tech Labs, set to open later this year,” said mHUB Chief Operating Officer Manas Mahendru. “Participants in On-Ramp will not only have access to the technical infrastructure they need but will be integrated into mHUB’s larger hard tech and deep tech community. This collaboration builds on the strong momentum already underway in the region’s quantum ecosystem, and mHUB is honored to be a launchpad for quantum innovation in Illinois as the broader IQMP vision advances.”
IQMP tenants in On-Ramp include IBM, Pasqal, Diraq, and Quantum Machines. The IQMP, which broke ground in Fall 2025, is a 128-acre development that provides infrastructure and resources to support the development and commercialization of quantum technologies, hardware, software and applications.
