Federal Lab Access Limits Are Rattling Quantum Sector

Insider Brief

• A proposed update to access rules at the National Institute of Standards and Technology is creating uncertainty for Colorado’s quantum startups and researchers.
• The changes would limit after-hours lab access for noncitizens and could affect foreign national associates working on quantum projects in Boulder.
• Industry leaders and policymakers warn the proposal could hinder talent recruitment and slow Colorado’s efforts to commercialize quantum technology under its federal Tech Hub designation.

The quantum workforce is used to working with uncertainty, but a federal proposal to tighten restrictions on foreign researchers at national labs is unsettling entrepreneurs and workers in Colorado’s fast-growing quantum industry, the Colorado Sun is reporting.

Spun out of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder four years ago, Icarus Quantum was intended to embody the federal government’s vision for Colorado as a quantum technology hub that can move research from the lab into commercial products. But company officials are telling the Sun that new limits on foreign nationals’ access to federal lab facilities are creating uncertainty for startups and researchers who rely on those labs.

Icarus Quantum recently received a $400,000 award from NIST to develop technology that connects small quantum computers into larger systems capable of handling more complex tasks. Chief Executive Poolad Imany, a former NIST postdoctoral associate who still uses lab space there, told the Colorado Sun the goal is to link machines together so they can solve more complex processes.

That work now faces potential disruption. In January, NIST began limiting after-hours lab access for noncitizens. Additional restrictions could take effect after March 31.

“I’m a U.S. citizen but we have other colleagues who are Iranian and who are Chinese and they’ve been directly affected,” Imany told the Colorado Sun.

The company is now scouting other “nanofab” locations in California, Boston and Chicago, Imany added.

“We’re assessing the situation by the day. Colorado is a great place to be so this would be very, very unfortunate,” Imany said.

NIST spokesperson Jennifer Huergo said the update is proposed and “not been finalized.” She said it aligns with a national security memorandum issued at the end of the Trump administration and later accompanied by implementation guidelines under the Biden administration.

The Biden administration implementation guidelines were designed to clarify compliance and avoid fueling xenophobia or prejudice while protecting federally funded research from foreign government interference.

Under federal policy, any institution receiving more than $50 million in research funding must safeguard its work against outside influence. NIST also maintains a “Safeguarding International Science” policy aimed at preserving collaboration while protecting U.S. research interests.

Talent Pipeline at Risk

In fiscal year 2024, NIST employed 560 people in Boulder, along with 940 contractors and visiting associates, the Colorado Sun reports. Most of the institute’s quantum research takes place in Boulder. NIST’s headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland, employs thousands more.

Foreign national associates — researchers who work directly with NIST staff — would be affected by the proposed changes. While all individuals already undergo identity verification, fingerprinting and criminal background checks, the after-hours access limits have had what researchers describe as a chilling effect.

According to the Colorado Sun, concerns are mounting that tighter rules could accelerate a brain drain, pushing top scientists to seek opportunities abroad. Quantum computing remains a global competition, and the field relies heavily on international talent. Companies and universities fear it could become more difficult to recruit researchers from overseas. Some worry that uncertainty around lab access could also affect federal funding and job stability.

The proposed changes come as Colorado is working to establish itself as a national leader in quantum technology. In 2023, the federal government designated the state as a regional Tech Hub for quantum computing. The designation was intended to accelerate commercialization and expand advanced technology jobs beyond traditional coastal centers.

Balancing Security and Innovation

Supporters of tighter controls argue that safeguarding sensitive research is essential as geopolitical tensions rise, the newspaper reports. Quantum technology has potential applications in encryption, national defense and advanced computing. Protecting intellectual property and preventing foreign interference are central federal priorities.

Critics counter that the U.S. research enterprise has long depended on openness and global collaboration. They warn that overly broad restrictions could undermine the very innovation federal policymakers are trying to promote.

Sen. John Hickenlooper, who helped secure Colorado’s Tech Hub designation, has been hearing from affected constituents, according to the Colorado Sun. The Tech Hub program, launched during the Biden administration, aimed to bolster American-built innovation and distribute commercialization opportunities across the country.

“NIST in Boulder is a research engine driving our future economic growth. We’re extremely alarmed by reports that this administration is quietly preparing to fire hundreds of the world’s top researchers,” Hickenlooper said in a text to the newspaper. “The research and standards they create dramatically accelerate advances in AI, quantum computing, and countless other technologies. Forcing them out will absolutely slow the growth of our economy.”

While it wasn’t a focus of the newspaper’s Colorado-focused reporting, many advanced-technology startups across the country rely on partnerships with federal laboratories, making it safe to assume similar access policies will carry implications across the country.