NSF National Quantum Virtual Laboratory | 23 604

Opportunity Information: Apply for 23 604

The NSF National Quantum Virtual Laboratory (NQVL) opportunity is a federal research grant program aimed at speeding up the United States' progress from foundational quantum research to practical, usable quantum technologies. It sits under the broader goals of the National Quantum Initiative (NQI) Act, which is designed to maintain U.S. leadership in quantum information science and technology. The core idea behind this solicitation is that quantum technology will mature faster if researchers do not work in isolation, but instead build platforms and demonstrations in tight partnership with real end-users, potential customers, and application communities across science, engineering, and the wider economy. By bringing those users into repeated cycles of research, development, and demonstration, NSF expects barriers to adoption to drop and new applications to emerge sooner, helping to catalyze a stronger market for quantum technologies.

NQVL is framed as a shared, community-oriented infrastructure rather than a single standalone lab. NSF describes it as an overarching structure to support translation from basic science and engineering into technology, while still pushing scientific and technical frontiers. The program emphasizes "use-inspired" and "application-oriented" quantum technologies, meaning proposals should not only advance the underlying science, but also show credible paths toward demonstration, integration, and real-world relevance. Alongside technology development, NQVL has explicit goals around workforce development, education and training in Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE), outreach at multiple levels, and strong attention to broadening participation, diversity, equity, and inclusion. In other words, it is not just about building quantum systems; it is also about expanding who can contribute to and benefit from the quantum ecosystem.

Structurally, NSF lays out a larger NQVL vision that includes several components: Quantum Science and Technology Demonstration (QSTD) projects that validate and showcase capabilities; support for enabling technologies through Transformative Advances in Quantum Systems (TAQS); and a central coordination hub to connect efforts across the community. However, the solicitation described here is focused specifically on proposals for Pilot-phase QSTD projects. These pilot demonstrations are meant to be early, concrete efforts that help validate approaches, reduce risk, and build momentum toward broader, more mature demonstration activities within the eventual NQVL framework.

A major theme of the opportunity is that success requires participation across the full U.S. QISE community, spanning universities, non-profit research and education organizations, and especially industry. NSF explicitly highlights industry involvement as essential and welcomes industry partners as part of the overall structure, which signals that proposals will likely be stronger when they include credible partners who can help drive requirements, provide hardware/software expertise, enable access to platforms, or guide pathways to adoption. Collaboration with other U.S. federal agencies under the NQI umbrella is also encouraged, reinforcing the idea that NQVL is intended to be a national-scale, coordinated effort rather than a collection of disconnected projects.

Eligibility to submit is limited to U.S.-based institutions of higher education (including accredited two-year and four-year institutions such as community colleges) and U.S. non-profit, non-academic organizations that are directly tied to research or educational activities (for example, independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies). If a proposal includes funding that would flow to an international branch campus of a U.S. institution (including via subawards or consultants), the applicant must clearly explain why that international performance is beneficial and why the work cannot be done at the U.S. campus. The principal investigator must be a faculty member at the lead organization or a permanent staff person at an eligible non-profit, non-academic organization with authority to act on behalf of that organization, while co-PIs may come from other organizations beyond the lead.

Operationally, there is an important pre-submission requirement: prospective PIs must contact the NQVL Program Officer(s) as early as possible and no later than two weeks before proposal submission. The purpose is to confirm that the project focus and budget fit the solicitation, which suggests NSF expects proposals to align tightly with the pilot QSTD intent and the broader NQVL concept. The opportunity is offered as a discretionary NSF grant in the science and technology R and D category, associated with multiple NSF CFDA listings (47.041, 47.049, 47.070, 47.074, 47.076, 47.084). The original closing date listed for this opportunity is June 11, 2024.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NSF National Quantum Virtual Laboratory" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.070, 47.074, 47.076, 47.084.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-07-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-11. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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