The U.S. government issues yearly SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) awards to various new technology projects. The nickname they give this program is “America’s Seed Fund”. Phase I awards are in the amounts of $50,000 to $275,000 for projects with a 6-12 month timeframe. Phase II awards will be in an amount between $400,000 to $1.8 million for projects that last 24 months. The difference between the SBIR and the STTR is that STTR awards require the recipient to partner with an academic institution.
The Department of Energy recently made several Phase II awards for companies working on quantum technology. This includes the following:
- Infleqtion will receive a Phase IIB award for $1.15 million for a project titled Increased Reliability for Near-Term Quantum Computers via Low-Level Control
- Atlantic Quantum will receive a Phase II award for $1.1 million for a project titled Software for Automatic Control, Calibration and Validation of Quantum Processors
- HighRI Optics will receive a Phase II award for $1.1 million for a project titled Highly Efficient Low Loss Fiber-Chip Light Coupling for Quantum Networks
Additional information about these projects and awards is available in a spreadsheet posted on the DOE’s Office of Science website here. A press release from Infleqtion about their award can be found here.
May 2, 2024
