Bipartisan Bills Aim to Expand Federal Quantum Research and Grow Future Workforce
+ Federal quantum information science-centered research and moves to expand the country’s pipeline of workers for the high-demand field would be further prioritized under two bills Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., partnered up to put forward late last week.
+ Broadly, Thune’s Quantum Network Infrastructure and Workforce Development Act would direct government-led studies into quantum-based information transmission, and how to prepare students across grade levels for this emerging realm. Hassan’s Quantum for Universal Advancement in Nationwide Technology Use and Modernization—or QUANTUM for National Security Act—largely focuses on driving QIS advancements and workforce improvements under the Pentagon’s umbrella.
According to Thune, these two new “bills build upon the success of the NQIA by supporting existing efforts and accelerating critical growth in the field.”
+ Referred to the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, the 14-page Quantum Network Infrastructure and Workforce Development Act would require the undersecretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology to lead research on the making and standardization of quantum networking technologies and applications.
+ It additionally would establish a program at DOE to advance quantum communications development. Among other inclusions, the bill would also direct the National Science Foundation conduct a study on quantum education gaps in K-12 education, and to implement a “Next Generation Quantum Leaders Pilot Program” through its existing Q-12 Education Partnership.
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