With state grant, UMass Boston looks to boost quantum computing
New England Council members, University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston) and Western New England University, were given a $1 million state grant managed by the Innovation Institute at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. This funding will be split between the two universities and will be used to set up campus research facilities that can aid Massachusetts tech companies in their development process of components for quantum computers.
The grant will allow these universities to help tech companies confirm that their quantum computer components work properly by providing cryogenic test facilities that are “tailored for the development of quantum computing components.” The grant will also fund training programs to teach the principles of quantum computing to students and engineers who are already in the workforce.
In speaking about the tech companies who will benefit from the research at these universities, Matthew Bell, associate professor of engineering at UMass Boston, stated, “They’re seizing the opportunity they see in this quantum marketplace.” Scientists hope that quantum computers be a major step up from traditional computers when tackling challenges such as predicting the weather or “designing new pharmaceutical compounds.”
The New England Council congratulates the University of Massachusetts Boston and Western New England University on their new quantum computer research funding and looks forward to the impact these universities will have on the technology industry.
Read more from the Boston Globe.