Boeing Announces $3.5 Million Dollar Investment to Expand Chicago Quantum Exchange Partnership

Insider Brief

• The Boeing Company announced an expanded partnership with the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE).
• The company has pledged over $3.5 million to bolster early-career scientists and initiate quantum research.
• Boeing has been an important player in quantum research and a CQE partner since 2019.

The Boeing Company announced an expanded partnership with the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE), earmarking over $3.5 million to bolster early-career scientists and initiate quantum research, according to a story on CQE’s website. This move strengthens the burgeoning quantum ecosystem in the region, aligning with efforts to develop advanced quantum sensors and networks.

As a key player in quantum information science and engineering (QISE) research and a CQE partner since 2019, Boeing’s latest investment underpins various initiatives, according to the story. These include technical workshops, support for new research projects, funding for graduate and postdoctoral fellows, and an award honoring early-career researchers for innovative contributions to the field. This funding also reaffirms Boeing’s ongoing corporate partnership with the CQE.

This collaboration capitalizes on the regional strengths in quantum science, focusing on expanding research and workforce development programs. It aims to engage a diverse audience, both regionally and globally. The synergy between Boeing, the CQE, and its member institutions—including Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Northwestern University and the University of Chicago —highlights the Midwest as a growing hub in the quantum field. The area boasts a 124-mile quantum network testbed, significant backing from the 2018 National Quantum Initiative Act, and the nation’s first quantum startup accelerator.

Jay Lowell, Quantum Portfolio Manager for Boeing, emphasized Boeing’s dedication to nurturing future quantum experts in sensing and networking technologies. Juan de Pablo of the University of Chicago hailed Boeing’s involvement as crucial to the region’s leadership in quantum science and engineering.

A key component of the initiative is the Quantum Creators Prize, established in 2021 to foster diversity and recognize pioneering early-career researchers in quantum science. Supported by Boeing, the prize has celebrated 27 doctoral students and postdocs, integrating a symposium into the annual Chicago Quantum Summit for wider exposure to industry, academic, and government leaders.