The first-of-its-kind global convening will connect the world’s quantum ecosystem in the nation’s capital in the fall of 2022 PRESS RELEASE December 9, 2021 (Washington, D.C.)—Today, Connected DMV and regional partners launched a first-of-its-kind global quantum conference, exposition, and networking series called the Quantum World Congress and announced the inaugural two-day event will occur next fall in Washington, D.C. Key regional partners include Destination DC, the University of Maryland (a global top-five university for quantum), George Mason University, Howard University, Mid-Atlantic Quantum Alliance, The MITRE Corporation and the Quantum Industry Coalition.
The Quantum World Congress will establish Greater Washington as the go-to destination and meeting place for quantum technology visionaries, policymakers, researchers, business and investment leaders and students. The event will be hosted in Washington, D.C.; will attract a cross-sector and multi-disciplinary audience; and will showcase major trends in quantum solutions, research, education, workforce, thought leadership, policy, business and investment. A pre-event education and workshops program will raise awareness of quantum fundamentals, domains, use cases and ethics. “Quantum will soon deliver innovations that will transform how the world lives, works, and learns,” said Stu Solomon, President and CEO, Connected DMV. “With a rapidly expanding quantum ecosystem, world-renowned universities, company headquarters, industry and technology leaders and policymakers, there’s no better place to assemble the world’s quantum leaders than in the nation’s capital. The Quantum World Congress represents another key milestone in our work to accelerate a quantum innovation growth cluster to drive equitable economic development in this region and beyond.”
"The Quantum World Congress builds upon the University of Maryland’s efforts to establish our region as the Capital of Quantum. We aim to leverage the many global and U.S. partnerships we have developed over the last several decades and partner in new and exciting ways in producing the technical, policy and workforce developments required to deliver on the promise of the Second Quantum Revolution,” said Darryll J. Pines, President, University of Maryland.
“The Quantum World Congress is a perfect example of what we are trying to do as a destination marketing organization and economic development organization: attract influential international meetings and events that can benefit from the greater Washington region’s robust industry resources, pipeline of talent and intellectual capital. We look forward to working with Connected DMV and stakeholders on this initial event that will contribute to DC’s recovery landscape next fall. From an economic standpoint, international meetings are crucial to the local economy as overseas travelers tend to stay longer and spend more, benefiting the region as whole,” said Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of Destination DC.
In the upcoming months, the coalition will confirm additional partners and release further details about dates, venue, and speakers. To receive updates on the Quantum World Congress, sign up on Connected DMV’s Potomac Quantum Innovation Center website.
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About Connected DMV
Connected DMV is an initiatives-based, charitable 501(c)(3) organization that works with regional organizations across Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia – the DMV – to help drive ongoing improvements to social, digital, and physical infrastructure. Connected DMV focuses on initiatives that span local jurisdictions and require public-private-academia-community collaboration to best achieve the dual objectives of enduring economic health and social equity. Learn more: https://www.connecteddmv.org/
The Potomac Quantum Innovation Center is an initiative launched and staffed by Connected DMV. PQIC’s mission is to bring together Greater Washington’s quantum stakeholders across borders and sectors to drive innovation, talent development, economic growth, and positive social impact. To achieve maximum regional impact, PQIC collaborates with many public sector, academic, industry, and nonprofit collaborators through its focus on five pillars: education and workforce, research and development, market acceleration, policy and standards, and funding and marketing. PQIC partners with the UMD’s Mid-Atlantic Quantum Alliance (MQA), the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), and the Quantum Industry Coalition (QIC), among others, to prepare the DMV for the coming quantum transformation and prepare our regional for global leadership.
About Destination DC
Destination DC, the official destination marketing organization for the nation’s capital, is a private, non-profit membership organization of 1,000 businesses committed to marketing the area as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities. washington.org.
About the University of Maryland (UMD)
UMD is Maryland’s flagship land grant university, one of the nation's preeminent public research universities, and a global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, with more than 40,700 students, 14,000 faculty and staff, and nearly 400,000 alumni all dedicated to the pursuit of Fearless Ideas. UMD is a top five global quantum research and development university with 200+ quantum scientists, and seven interdisciplinary quantum centers and is the birthplace of IonQ, the first pureplay quantum computing company to go public in an IPO (in October 2021). Learn more: https://quantum.umd.edu/
The Mid-Atlantic Quantum Alliance (MQA) was formally launched in January 2020 to accelerate quantum science and engineering to enhance the region’s primacy in a field that promises to revolutionize society. This alliance, facilitated by the University of Maryland, brings together over 200 working group members across 11 universities, 4 U.S. Government research centers / labs, and 6 Fortune 500 companies with the mission to serve as an inclusive forum for its members to engage and collaborate with each other on education, global thought leadership, and building a vibrant and diverse ecosystem to support quantum innovation. Over the last 18 months, MQA has collaborated closely with Connected DMV and its Potomac Quantum Innovation Center (PQIC) in joint ecosystem-building efforts around Greater Washington and the larger Mid-Atlantic regional quantum ecosystem. Together, MQA and PQIC have created a shared vision and a framework for fostering cooperation across a wide range of stakeholder to ensure the region remains a world-leader in equitable quantum research, education, engineering, and application. MQA will lead the Quantum World Congress Science & Engineering track.
About George Mason University (GMU)
George Mason University is Northern Virginia’s leading four-year and graduate educational and research institution. GMU serves 39,000 students and was recently named VA’s most diverse university; 36% of GM’s undergraduate students are first-generation. While GMU is based in Fairfax County, GMU’s Arlington Campus will undergo a $250 million transformation over the next five years. With it will be the creation of the Rosslyn-Ballston Innovation Corridor, an innovation district that will be the first of its kind in Virginia. Learn more: https://www.gmu.edu/
About Howard University
To date, Howard has awarded more than 120,000 degrees in the arts, the sciences, and the humanities, to more on-campus African American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. The National Science Foundation has ranked Howard as the top producer of African American undergraduates who later earn science and engineering doctoral degrees. Howard recently announced the IBM-HBCU Quantum Center to prepare and develop talent at HBCUs from all STEM disciplines for the quantum future. Learn more: https://howard.edu/
About The MITRE Corporation
MITRE is a private, non-for-profit working at the intersection of advanced technology and vital global concerns to provide engineering, technical guidance, and data driven policy recommendations for the federal government in the service of the public good. With a historic focus on complex Public-Private partnerships and integration to address emerging challenges, MITRE has significant research programs and facilities in the DMV. MITRE, through its Labs, federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), tech foundation, and data-driven policy center, is deeply engaged in the application of quantum research and development of applied sciences as an engine of innovation and economic development. Learn more: https://www.mitre.org/
About the Quantum Industry Coalition (QIC)
QIC is based in Washington, DC, and comprised of more than twenty leading quantum industry members. QIC seeks to enable the quantum industry to speak with one voice to promote its shared priorities for real-world quantum applications and US quantum industry commercial success and international competitiveness. Learn more: https://www.quantumindustrycoalition.com/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Toni DeLancey tonidelancey@connecteddmv.org (703) 980-5935