The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japan’s Quantum STrategic industry Alliance for Revolution (Q-STAR) to build cross-border commercialization pathways, joint R&D pipelines, and supply chain connections between Japan and Illinois. Signed at the Global Quantum Forum in Chicago by IQMP CEO Harley Johnson and Q-STAR Global Consortium Alliances Working Group Chair Hirofumi Mori, the agreement establishes a framework for scaling quantum startups, facilitating capital flow, and integrating industrial supply chains between both markets.
Bilateral Commercialization and Supply Chain Integration
Founded in 2021, Q-STAR represents more than 160 Japanese corporations and institutions—including major industrial enterprises such as Toshiba, NEC, NTT, and Hitachi—alongside early-stage ventures and academic centers. The partnership focuses on four operational collaboration tracks:
- Capital and Market Access: Connecting Japanese and Illinois-based startups with cross-border venture capital, incubator networks, and non-dilutive government funding.
- Supply Chain Co-Development: Identifying critical hardware, cryogenic, optical, and fabrication components to strengthen domestic supply chains in both nations.
- Joint R&D and Enterprise Pilots: Facilitating collaborative research programs between universities, national labs, and enterprise end-users across quantum computing, sensing, and networking.
- Workforce and Technology Transfer: Exchanging technical expertise and establishing talent pipelines between Japanese industrial leaders and Chicago-area research hubs.
Strengthening Illinois–Japan Economic Ties
The MoU builds on diplomatic and trade momentum between Illinois and Japan. Following executive trade missions—including Governor JB Pritzker’s mission to Japan in late 2024, a Japanese delegation visit to Chicago in mid-2025, and a JETRO-led mission to Tokyo in March 2026—the agreement formalizes institutional channels between Japan’s technology sector and the 128-acre IQMP campus on Chicago’s South Side. Facilitated by the Illinois Economic Development Corporation (ILEDC) and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the initiative aims to accelerate the transition of quantum research into deployable commercial applications across both ecosystems.
Review the official partnership announcement on IQMP here, and review our previous coverage of Q-STAR’s Bilateral Alliances here and the IQMP Campus Groundbreaking here.
July 25, 2026
