UChicago Science Incubator to Provide ‘On-Ramp’ Facilities to Accelerate Tenant Entry into IQMP Quantum Ecosystem
Powered by Portal Innovations and the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the UChicago Science Incubator is located in Hyde Park Labs, a 300,000+ square-foot facility near the University of Chicago’s main campus and medical center. Photo by Anne Ryan
The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP), a first-of-its-kind park built for quantum technology scale-up and advanced microelectronics research and development, has announced that the University of Chicago Science Incubator at Hyde Park Labs will serve as an ‘On-Ramp’ location.
The IQMP’s On-Ramp program – which is hosted by mHUB – allows companies that will ultimately be tenants at the IQMP to enter and leverage the Chicago and Illinois quantum ecosystem immediately by temporarily locating at local innovation facilities. The Discovery Partners Institute (DPI), the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Grainger College of Engineering space in downtown Chicago, will also serve as an On-Ramp facility in addition to mHUB and the UChicago Science Incubator.
“Illinois continues to lead the quantum economy by removing barriers and accelerating opportunity,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The On-Ramp program ensures that tenants of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park can access lab space, equipment, and collaboration partners immediately — keeping innovation moving and strengthening our global competitiveness. This is how we secure Illinois’ place at the forefront of one of the most transformative technologies of our time.”
The UChicago Science Incubator provides move-in-ready lab space with optical suites, cryostat capacity, and direct access to the 124-mile fiber optic quantum loop, as well as innovation programming provided by the UChicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Early quantum tenants of the Incubator include memQ, Quantum Machines, Bluefors, and stac12.
Bluefors, a world leader in cryogenic cooling systems for quantum technology, opened its second Chicago-based lab facility at the Incubator late last year. Bluefors Lab offers startups, research groups, and other organizations easy and convenient access to a cryogenic measurement system through a service-based model.
“Through the facilities at the UChicago Science Incubator and the programming provided by the Polsky Center, we are proud to support the On-Ramp program and help lay the foundation for a thriving quantum ecosystem in Illinois,” said Samir Mayekar, Managing Director of UChicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “By providing immediate access to lab space, infrastructure, and commercialization expertise, we are ensuring that quantum founders can move quickly from breakthrough research to real-world impact. This collaboration reflects our commitment to connecting innovators with the resources, partners, and pathways they need to build transformative companies.”
IQMP tenants in On-Ramp include IBM, Pasqal, Diraq, and Quantum Machines. The IQMP, which broke ground in Fall 2025, is a 128-acre development that provides infrastructure and resources to support the development and commercialization of quantum technologies, hardware, software, and applications.
“On-Ramp ensures that companies choosing to make the IQMP their home do not have to wait until our doors are open to begin building, hiring, and collaborating here in Illinois,” said Harley Johnson, Executive Director and CEO of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. “By providing immediate access to specialized facilities, equipment, and ecosystem partners, we are accelerating innovation and reinforcing Illinois’ position as a global quantum destination. We are grateful to our partners for providing additional space for our tenants to get to work, and are thrilled to welcome them to Illinois.”
“The On-Ramp program ensures that innovative companies can establish operations, create high-quality jobs, and begin collaborating with our world-class research institutions and industry partners right away,” said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Kristin Richards. “DCEO is proud to support this initiative as we strengthen Illinois’ position as a premier destination for next-generation technology companies and drive inclusive economic growth across the state.”