Twenty-three small businesses received $5.25 million in contract funds from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to accelerate research efforts for quantum technologies through the first phase of the Small Business Technology Transfer program. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) said Friday it awarded 35 contracts worth $150,000 each during a two-day virtual quantum collider pitch event.
Will Roper, assistant secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics with the USAF and three-time Wash100 Award winner, said the service branch is looking to accelerate collaborative efforts for quantum computing between the public and private sectors through the STTR program.
“We will continue to invest in pitch events like this that expand our government ecosystem by leveraging academia/corporate investment, and look forward to the grand opening of our Quantum Innovation Center of Excellence here in Rome, N.Y., this summer,” said Col. Timothy Lawrence, director at AFRL’s information directorate.
