July 2025
IN THIS EDITION...
Quantum Moonshot named a NSF Engines semifinalist
DARPA Pitch Day is this month on July 25
<Q|School returns to CUbit in late July
SQMS Center Workshop with IBM for International Year of Quantum
Quantum Commons announcement, jobs, events, and more!
The Quantum LeadThe Quantum Lead
Quantum Moonshot Named Semifinalist in NSF Regional Innovation Engines Program
The Quantum Moonshot has advanced to the next round of the National Science Foundation’s highly competitive Regional Innovation Engines program!
This milestone reflects the growing recognition of the Mountain West as the national hub for quantum innovation, where national labs, academic research institutions, startups, and tribal and rural communities are coming together to shape the future of quantum technologies and workforce development.
Quantum Moonshoot’s ambitious vision to build an inclusive innovation economy around quantum technologies has the region positioned to receive up to $160 million over 10 years to accelerate new jobs, businesses, and talent pipelines across New Mexico, Colorado and the entire Mountain West.
Quantum Events
July 25: DARPA to Hold Pitch Day in Aurora for $400K in Potential Funding
DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) will host an invitation-only, in-person Pitch Day on July 25, 2025. It will be held in conjunction with MTO Spark Tank in Aurora, Colo.
MTO Pitch Day is an opportunity for selected participants to pitch revolutionary concepts directly to MTO program managers for potential funding of up to $400,000 for short-term exploratory efforts. Awardees will be announced the same day that they are pitched.
This initiative aims to fast-track transformative ideas that could evolve into future DARPA programs. MTO is looking for revolutionary – not evolutionary – research ideas that align with the following technical areas of interest:
Unconventional Computing: Exploring new paradigms beyond traditional digital computing, with the potential to improve speed, energy efficiency, and processing capabilities
Biologically Inspired Microsystems: Developing electronic microsystems that integrate biomolecules and leverage biological principles for superior sensing and computation capabilities
Commercially Catalyzed Defense Deployment: Leveraging commercial-scale technologies to enhance national security and create a self-sustaining ecosystem for accelerating defense-specific microsystem deployment.
Quantum Commons
Quantum Commons Admin Building Opening
The Quantum Commons Admin Building will officially open on Thursday, August 28th with a kickoff event in Arvada.
This event marks the grand opening of the first major building on the Quantum Commons and kicks off a new series of community gatherings focused on collaboration, innovation, and opportunity across Colorado and the Mountain West's growing quantum ecosystem.
You’ll have a chance to:
Connect with consortium and board members, government partners, quantum industry leaders, and community organizers
Explore interactive demos from Elevate Quantum partners: SparCQS and Front Range Community College’s Optics Technology program
Learn more about the vision for the Quantum Commons and the work ahead
Quantum Education
<Q|School: Accelerating Quantum Talent in the Southwest
This summer, the University of Colorado Boulder’s CUbit Initiative is launching <Q|School — a new, hands-on learning experience designed to prepare the next generation of quantum workforce talent. Running July 29–August 2, the inaugural session will immerse students, researchers, and early-career professionals in the fundamentals of quantum science and engineering, with a focus on real-world applications and industry connections.
Participants will gain exposure to quantum hardware, coding, problem-solving, and mentorship from national experts — laying the groundwork for a more diverse, technically skilled future workforce.
Quantum Advancement
SQMS Center Workshop – Quantum Algorithms and Applications for Physics and Chemistry
In partnership with the National Quantum Algorithm Center and in celebration of the International Year of Quantum, Fermilab’s SQMS Center and IBM are presenting a workshop focused on quantum algorithms and applications for both high-energy physics and chemistry.
The workshop is comprised of three tracks plus a plenary session including a hands-on introduction to quantum computing and Qiskit, a session on quantum education, and a deep-dive on utilizing quantum computation for exploring problems in high-energy physics and chemistry.
Have an event, job posting or achievement to celebrate with the quantum community? Email anjul@elevatequantum.org to submit your information, and we’ll update here in and in our newsletter!
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