Event Features Keynote by Astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson and U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force Acquisition Executive Dr. Will Roper, with Live Quantum Pitch Event
Rome, NY – Innovare Advancement Center, a partnership between the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate (AFRL/RI), New York State, Oneida County (OC), New York, the City of Rome, the Griffiss Institute (GI), NYSTEC, and The State University of New York (SUNY), announced the 36 research teams from around the world who have been selected to pitch their potentially game-changing quantum research and innovations as part of the live, virtual “Million Dollar International Quantum U Tech Accelerator.” The global engagement, taking place September 1-3, 2020, boasts cross-department support from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and Office of Naval Research (ONR).
“The Griffiss Institute is extremely excited that this innovational, global event will be the first of its kind from the Innovare Advancement Center,” says Griffiss Institute president, Bill Wolf. “With hundreds of the best international scientists already registered for this live, virtual event, it promises to be a unique kick-off for Griffiss Institute’s new home.”
Hundreds of top-tier researchers, members of industry, and higher education leaders from around the world have already registered to attend this first-of-its-kind event centered around a $1,000,000 quantum-focused pitch competition for university researchers. Notably, members of the public are also invited to take part and learn more about how advanced research, especially related to quantum, can lead to incredible technological progress, with a keynote, “Quantum Fundamentals for Everyone,” by astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson and U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force Acquisition Executive Dr. Will Roper. The event will also feature “Coffee and Concepts” fast-pitch sessions for members of industry, government, and academia, and remarks by world leaders in quantum information science (QIS).
Nearly 250 teams from 22 countries submitted proposals to take part in this unique pitch competition. Of those, 36 teams have been selected to pitch their potentially game-changing concepts related to quantum timing, sensing, information processing/computing, and communications/networking at the event when an elite panel of judges will—in real-time—select 18 teams to win a portion of the more than $1M in basic research funding provided by the AFRL/RI, AFOSR, and ONR. The teams selected to compete plan to pitch ideas ranging from quantum sensors for GPS-denied navigation and a chip-scale integrated quantum platform, to ion traps and innovative lasers. Selected researchers and respective institutions include:
- Antonio Sergio Bezerra Sombra – Federal University of Ceara – UFC
- Gurudev Dutt – University of Pittsburgh
- John Close – The Australian National University (ANU)
- Phillippe Bouyer – Institut d’Optique Graduate School, CNRS
- Marcus Doherty – Australian National University
- David Simpson – University of Melbourne
- Paul G. Kwiat – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Spyros Gallis – SUNY Polytechnic Institute
- Andre Luiten- University of Adelaide (UoA)
- Peter Brereton – U.S. Naval Academy (USNA)
- Doyeoi (David) Ahn – University of Seoul
- Fred Chong – University of Chicago
- Shay Hacohen-Gourgy – Israel Institute of Technology
- Simon J. Devitt – Center for Quantum Software and Information, University of Technology Sydney
- Andrii Sotnikov – NSC Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology
- Eric C. Larson – Southern Methodist University (SMU)
- Kavan Modi – Monash University
- Andrew G. White – University of Queensland
- Anton Lukyanenko – George Mason University
- Shyam Shankar – University of Texas at Austin and New York University
- Paolo Pintus – University of California Santa Barbara
- Shuo Sun – JILA and University of Colorado Boulder
- Ofer Firstenberg – Weizmann institute of Science
- Tobias J. Kippenberg – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL)
- John Bartholomew – University of Sydney
- Marko Loncar – Harvard University
- Alp Sipahigil – UC Berkeley
- Paul C. Haljan – Simon Fraser University
- Britton Plourde – Syracuse University
- Thomas Purdy – University of Pittsburgh
- Alex Hayat – Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
- Nicolas Grandjean – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL)
- Ryan Behunin – Northern Arizona University
- Shimon Kolkowitz – University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Uriel Levy – The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel (HUJI)
- R. Jason Jones – University of Arizona
Innovare’s key strategic collaborators seek to engage partners to initiate entrepreneurial ventures and tech startups in key strategic areas, including artificial intelligence/machine learning, cybersecurity, and quantum, in addition to building a robust talent pipeline at a time when scientific advancement across boundaries is needed now more than ever to remain economically and strategically competitive in this fast-changing world.
As Innovare-connected research takes place at partnering organizations all over the world, the Innovare launch is concurrently a bold step forward in implementing the National Quantum Initiative Act, which aims to foster the development of a quantum technology ecosystem among government, industry, and academia.
To learn more details about the three-day engagement and to register to attend, please visit: https://milliondollarquantumutech.eventcreate.com/
More information about Innovare Advancement Center and additional updates related to the $1M International Quantum U Tech Accelerator can be found here: www.innovare.org.