Grants / Department of Energy / Office of Science

DE-FOA-0003005: Quantum Testbed Pathfinder

Closed Closed May 3, 2023 Opportunity DE-FOA-0003005 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Genesis Mission Graduate Fellowship Pilot (DE-FOA-0003673). Status: Closes January 12, 2027 (66 days left). It is in our archive of Office of Science notices from 2023.

• Award ceiling$600,000
• Award floor$50,000
• Total funding$12.0 million
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeGrant, Other

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to any type of organization.

• Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility"

All types of applicants are eligible to apply, except nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995. Federally affiliated5 entities must adhere to the eligibility standards below: 1. DOE/NNSA National Laboratories DOE/NNSA National Laboratories are eligible to submit applications under this FOA but are not eligible to be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. Instead, they must submit their own application as a team member in a multi-institutional team. If recommended for funding, either as the sole applicant or in a multi-institutional team, funding will be provided through the DOE Field-Work Proposal System and work will be conducted under the laboratory’s contract with DOE. No administrative provisions of this FOA will apply to the laboratory or any laboratory subcontractor. Additional instructions for securing authorization from the cognizant Contracting Officer are found in Section VIII of this FOA. 2. Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are eligible to submit applications under this FOA but are not eligible to be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. Instead, they must submit their own application as a team member in a multi-institutional team. If recommended for funding, either as the sole applicant or in a multi-institutional team, funding may be provided through an interagency agreement to the FFRDC’s sponsoring Federal Agency. Additional instructions for securing authorization from the cognizant Contracting Officer are found in Section VIII of this FOA. 3. Other Federal Agencies Other Federal Agencies are eligible to submit applications under this FOA but are not eligible to be proposed as subrecipients under another organization’s application. Instead, they must submit their own application as a team member in a multi-institutional team. If recommended for funding, either as the sole applicant or in a multi-institutional team, funding will be provided through an interagency agreement. Additional instructions for providing statutory authorization are found in Section VIII of this FOA.

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Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Office of Science Financial Assistance Program awards averaged $1.2 million; this notice allows up to $600,000 per award.
• Most of the program's money (69% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

The mission of the ASCR program is to discover, develop, and deploy computational and networking capabilities to analyze, model, simulate and predict complex phenomena for the advancement of science. Since 2015, ASCR has held a series of workshops to assess the 2 potential of quantum computing to advance transformative science and identify its potential impact [1-3]. A wide range of high-impact applications of quantum computing were identified in areas such as chemistry, materials, and biology as well as in computational techniques such as optimization. However, the quantum resources required to achieve a practical advantage in any area of computational science remain inadequately understood. While it is possible to make a rough estimate based on the number of logic gates needed to run a specific algorithm, details such as the physical configuration of qubits in a processor device architecture, noise mechanisms, approaches to compilation and transpilation, gate set selection and implementation, etc. can have a significant impact on whether a specific quantum computer will be able to execute a useful computation. ASCR therefore invites applications for basic research to address the following questions: 1. What can fundamental physical limits on quantum processors tell us about what quantum computers can and cannot do? 2. How can we use NISQ devices to move our understanding of when and how quantum computers might be useful as far forward as possible? 3. How can we best assess the utility of a given (existing or hypothetical) quantum processor for advancing the frontiers of computational science? Applications may address any combination of these themes. Submitted applications should clearly identify which of the themes are addressed. Research should be backed by rigorous theory and strive to connect metrics for device performance to low-level physical parameters as well as application performance whenever possible. This program is aimed at assessing current and future quantum computers rather than developing or improving applications and algorithms. Research proposed in response to this FOA should support the growth of an active, integrated research community committed to the common goal of developing quantum computing resources for advancing scientific discovery. Students and/or other junior researchers should have ample opportunity to participate in all aspects of the project. International collaboration and personnel exchange is encouraged.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, DE-FOA-0003673, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.