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May 6, 2024

New public-private partnership launches to make CT a leader in quantum technologies

Hanna Snyder Gambini Dan O'Keefe, state DECD Commissioner, speaks during the launch of QuantumCT at Southern Connecticut State University on Monday.
By Hanna Snyder Gambini

State and local officials, along with industry and university leaders gathered in New Haven Monday for the launch of QuantumCT, a new public-private collaboration aimed at “accelerating the adoption of quantum technologies in Connecticut and beyond” and positioning the state “as a leading hub for quantum-related research, technologies and jobs.”

Quantum computing is an emerging global market, predicted to be worth $53 billion by 2028, that will impact a vast variety of industries, according to QuantumCT.

Panelists from UConn and Yale University sat with state Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Dan O’Keefe and moderator Erik Clemons, founding CEO and president of New Haven-based ConnCORP and ConnCAT, to discuss quantum computing’s potential impact on Connecticut industries and the overall state economy.

Quantum computing is an emerging technology that uses quantum physics to address issues that are too difficult for traditional computers to solve.

Panelists said it has the potential to bolster many industries in which Connecticut already excels, including research and development, bioscience, health care and insurance.

Quantum mechanics and computing can: create alternatives for GPS capabilities if and when satellites are disabled or interrupted; measure the efficacy of pharmaceutical drugs without screening; and predict future events in the financial or insurance industries, said panelist Michael Crair, Yale University vice provost for research and professor of neuroscience and ophthalmology and visual science.

O’Keefe said just as quantum technology can increase computing  capabilities exponentially, it also has the potential to impact commercial opportunities for the state economy.

QuantumCT is nurturing an innovation ecosystem, training a new workforce, and identifying ways R&D can inspire communities and help companies across all sectors, according to QuantumCT.

The partnership includes UConn and Yale, which were awarded a $1 million U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) grant last year to help lead the state’s growth efforts around quantum computing technology.

The universities will use the money to develop plans to facilitate the growth of startup and existing quantum-related companies, find ways academic research can help these companies, and prepare residents for jobs in the field.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said he’s hoping the Elm City can become a “center for quantum-related innovation and investment,” due to its academic and research institutions like Yale and a growing bioscience hub.
 

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