A collaborative cross-institutional research team led by Stony Brook University’s Eden Figueroa, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, has secured a Conceptualization Grant of $150,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes program. The award recognizes a collaborative effort to drive quantum information science-related research and is led by faculty and research staff from Stony Brook University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, The University at Buffalo, and SUNY Polytechnic Institute. One goal of the team is to develop a proposal for the next round of Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes funding, which could mean millions in additional NSF support to fund a quantum-focused center where researchers can advance everything from quantum devices and materials to distributed quantum systems. SUNY Polytechnic Institute assistant professor of nanoengineering Spyros Gallis is part of the team. “I am grateful to the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes program for the support of this collaborative research, which can enable impactful progress in the areas of quantum information science, including quantum communications. Our research team is eager to continue to work closely with our colleagues at Stony Brook, BNL, and the University at Buffalo on this effort,” he said.