The Polsky Center to Support Quantum Ecosystem as Part of $55M Bloch Quantum Tech Hub Initiative
The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation will provide resources to help quantum companies grow as part of a new $55 million effort to build a domestic quantum supply chain in the Midwest.
The support is part of the Bloch Quantum Tech Hub, a multisector initiative led by the Chicago Quantum Exchange, which recently received a $30 million award from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
The initiative draws on the manufacturing capabilities, research institutions, technical talent, and industry base of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana to reduce U.S. reliance on imported quantum materials, components, and systems.
Through the UChicago Science Incubator, the Polsky Center will help participating companies access equipment, facilities, events, programs, mentors, and networks designed to support their development and growth.
“The Bloch will drive U.S. quantum leadership, strengthen national security, and create jobs by eliminating barriers to domestic quantum manufacturing, a challenge that the Midwest is uniquely equipped to address,” said David Awschalom, the Liew Family Professor of Quantum Engineering and Physics at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, director of the CQE, principal investigator of The Bloch, and a senior scientist at Argonne National Laboratory in the press release. “Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana are all top 10 manufacturing states, and the Midwest is home to a diverse industry base, world-leading research institutions, and a large talent pool.”
Over the grant period, the UChicago Science Incubator will provide a discount on affiliate memberships for Bloch companies. The discounted memberships will give participating companies access to hoteling desks, shared conference rooms, events, and the incubator’s mentor network.
The incubator will also host several events each year to support companies participating in the Bloch. Programming may include workshops, speaker series, and networking events that bring together founders, researchers, investors, industry representatives, and other members of the regional quantum ecosystem.
In addition, the UChicago Science Incubator will purchase equipment to support quantum companies throughout the region. Shared access to specialized equipment can help reduce one of the most significant barriers facing early-stage quantum companies: the cost of purchasing sophisticated tools that may be prohibitively expensive for an individual startup.
The commitment builds on the Polsky Center’s growing support of the region’s quantum ecosystem. The UChicago Science Incubator was recently named an On-Ramp location for the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP), allowing companies that plan to become tenants at the 128-acre South Side campus to access laboratory space, equipment, infrastructure, and Polsky Center programming while the park is under construction. Through the Bloch, the Polsky Center will support a broader group of quantum companies across the three-state region as they access shared resources, build industry connections, and prepare to scale. The two efforts also intersect as the Bloch plans to build a facility at the IQMP that will bring stakeholders together, giving suppliers access to customers.
The Bloch’s projects are designed to help quantum companies transition to scaled manufacturing, prepare existing manufacturers to participate in the quantum supply chain, strengthen the security of U.S. quantum technologies, and develop infrastructure that brings suppliers and customers together.
The broader effort addresses a critical challenge facing the U.S. quantum sector. Many materials, components, and subsystems used in quantum technologies are currently imported, which can increase costs, delay product development, and create potential security vulnerabilities.
By helping startups and established manufacturers gain access to equipment, technical assistance, customers, and commercialization resources, the Bloch aims to create more efficient domestic production cycles and accelerate the development of quantum technologies.
The Midwest is particularly well positioned to lead that work. Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin are among the country’s leading manufacturing states and are home to major research universities, national laboratories, quantum companies, and a growing network of specialized facilities.
The region includes more than two dozen quantum startups and facilities such as Hyde Park Labs, the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, the Roberts Impact Lab, and the National Quantum Algorithm Center.