EPB and Vanderbilt University announce new Institute for Quantum Innovation
Pending necessary approvals, it will will become a center for research, innovation, and graduate-level education in quantum and related fields.
EPB of Chattanooga, home of America’s most comprehensive quantum commercialization infrastructure, and Vanderbilt University announced on Wednesday plans to establish the Institute for Quantum Innovation, further positioning Chattanooga—and Tennessee—as a national hub for advancing quantum science and technology.
The Institute for Quantum Innovation will be a center for research, innovation, and graduate-level education in quantum and related fields. Pending accrediting agency approval, Vanderbilt will establish an academic research and innovation campus in Chattanooga and locate faculty, staff, and graduate students on-site. This will enable continuous collaboration with EPB, support research, and help drive local job creation, startup formation, and broader economic development in Chattanooga and across Tennessee.
According to an article in the Chattanooga Times Free Press, David Wade, Chief Executive Officer of EPB, told the EPB board of directors, that Vanderbilt anticipates placing up to 260 faculty, staff and students at the Institute. The board also approved $750,000 over the next three years in start-up funding for the center, which Vanderbilt will match.
“From cybersecurity to energy distribution to medicine and science of all kinds, the potential for quantum innovation to improve our lives is enormous,” Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. “We are delighted to collaborate with EPB and thank the members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation and the state and federal officials who helped make this collaboration possible. We are grateful to the leaders, businesses, and residents of the Chattanooga area who have supported EPB’s expansive vision.”
Designed to accelerate discoveries from research to the real world, the collaboration will drive advancements in energy, national security, health, insurance, logistics and critical infrastructure while preparing the workforce of the future. The institute brings together Vanderbilt University’s leading quantum nanophotonics and research and educational programs with collaborative access to the EPB Quantum CenterSM, the nation’s first facility to provide commercial access to both a trapped-ion quantum computer and a photonics-based local quantum network.
To meet rising demand for expertise in quantum and adjacent fields like artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, Vanderbilt will develop and deliver graduate-level academic offerings that provide students with hands-on experience with EPB’s quantum and energy infrastructure. The university will also provide industry-integrated training programs that complement the institute’s research agenda and provide upskilling and credentialing in cooperation with regional entities. A faculty committee has been appointed to develop recommendations and provide input on the academic programming plans, which will require accrediting body approval.
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