Science advocacy drives passage of US National Quantum Initiative Act
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Science advocacy drives passage of US National Quantum Initiative Act
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members sent countless letters to Congress supporting the legislation through Materials Voice [the MRS letter campaign program],” Dozier says. This support was part of a chorus of voices from the scientific community that engaged with legislators in both major political parties to help write and usher this bill through Congress and presidential approval to become law. The bill directs the president to implement an NQI program, which includes defining a 10-year plan to coordinate and accelerate federal efforts on quantum information science (QIS) and technology applications. The new law also calls for the development of a QIS workforce pipeline, directs the federal government to partner with industry and universities to maximize QIS knowledge and resources, acknowledges existing federal investments in QIS, and calls for a boost in funding for quantum information science and technology. The authorized funding comes in at just over $1.2 billion for the first five years, spread across the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department of Energy (DOE). Acknowledging QIS programs that already exist in NIST, the bill calls for continued support and expansion, including the creation of a quantum consortium “of stakeholders to identify the fuHoneycomb crystal structure of the candidate quantum spin liquid ture measurement, α-RuCl3. While theoretical studies are being conducted on quantum liquid spins, experimental studies remain difficult. Image courtesy of standards, cybersecurity, and other Arnab Banerjee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. he key role of science advocacy in driving important legislation has been recently illustrated by the passage of the US National Quantum Initiative Act (NQI). Signed into law by President Trump on December 21, 2018, the legislation was promoted and informed by a range of scientists and scientific societies, including the Materials Research Society (MRS). “Beginning in the summer of 2018, MRS worked closely with [US] House Science Committee staff as the bill was beginning to take shape,” says Damon Dozier, MRS Director of Government Affairs. According to Dozier, in addition to helping shape the language of the bill, part of that work included providing recommendations on quantum science experts to testify before the House Science Committee and working with Senate staff as they took up the House version of the bill. “In addition to the Hill advocacy taken up by both staff and volunteers, MRS
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appropriate needs for supporting the development of a robust quantum information science and technology industry in the United States.” The bill authorizes funding of up to $80 million annually for five years (starting in fiscal year 2019) for NQIrelated activities within NIST. NSF had already identified the “Quantum Leap” as one of its 10 “Big Ideas” in 2017 for future investment, and the NQI Act supports this by directing NSF to carry out a program of basic r
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