Energy Department Announces $7M for Quantum Technology Outposts in Fundamental Physics

Projects Will Enable Scientific Breakthroughs through Quantum Technology

August 13, 2026

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An aerial view of the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) complex at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The EIC will reuse key infrastructure from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, including its accelerator tunnel and other components. (Kevin Coughlin/Brookhaven National Laboratory)

Editor's note: The following news release was originally issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory will lead one of the newly funded Quantum Outpost projects, called “Quantum Information Signatures at Colliders,” in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh. Researchers will develop new ways to investigate the quantum information carried by particles in collisions at facilities like the Large Hadron Collider and the future Electron-Ion Collider. By learning how quantum information flows through a high-energy collision, including how particles become “entangled,” researchers aim to uncover phenomena that cannot be seen through traditional techniques and identify clues about physics beyond the Standard Model. For more information about this project, please contact Stephanie Rucco (srucco@bnl.gov, 631-344-8671).

Today, DOE announced $7.3 million in funding for eight projects that will explore the application of quantum information science and technology to new experiments and simulations in high energy physics, broadening the reach of new techniques and unlocking new potential for scientific breakthroughs.

These projects will apply the unique tools, techniques, and concepts of quantum information science to the unique science mission of Department of Energy’s Office of High Energy Physics. In particular, these projects will develop new quantum sensors and applications for quantum computers that yield new insights at the very high energies seen in particle collider experiments and in the high-intensity environments of neutrino experiments such as DOE’s Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) currently under construction.

The new projects show DOE’s vital contribution to multiple national priorities. By pushing the cutting-edge of quantum science and technology, and by working to apply and integrate that technological progress into our mission, DOE is a key participant in the National Quantum Initiative and the President’s recent Executive Order on Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation. These projects, by utilizing next-generation computing technology to accelerate scientific discovery, are also key elements of the Genesis Mission, particularly the Quantum Genesis initiative, which seeks to deliver scientifically relevant quantum computing to the nation by 2028.

Projects were selected through competitive, external merit review process under DOE’s “Quantum Outposts on the Energy and Intensity Frontiers” program.

Total funding is $7.3 million for projects lasting up to three years in duration, with $3.2 million in Fiscal Year 2026 dollars and outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations. The list of projects and more information can be found on the HEP funding awards page.

Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding. Before funding is issued, DOE and the applicants will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that time.

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