Innovare Advancement Center in Rome to host Accelerator in early September

ROME — Innovare Advancement Center announced it will host the upcoming $1 million International Quantum U Tech Accelerator in early September. 

Innovare (pronounced Inn-oh-VAR-ay) Advancement Center is the new “open innovation” campus located at the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome, the Griffiss Institute said in a July 13 news release.

The event is scheduled from Sept. 1-3, with both in-person and virtual components. It will include a $1 million quantum-focused pitch competition for university researchers; fast-pitch sessions for members of industry, government, and academia; keynotes and remarks by world leaders in quantum information science (QIS); and opportunities for tours to learn more about Innovare and its mission and capabilities.

Innovare is a partnership of the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate (AFRL/RI or Rome Lab), Griffiss Institute in Rome, Oneida County, and SUNY.

The announcement expands upon that partnership with the support of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) for a global quantum pitch event. It will include speakers and leaders, interactive and virtual-networking opportunities, and the launch of the Innovare Advancement Center, which is located “just over the fence” from the Rome Lab.

Crews handling the center’s construction are working to finish up the project, Jennifer Sumner, public relations & marketing manager at the Griffiss Institute tells CNYBJ. National Building & Restoration Corporation of Utica is the contractor on the project, while the C&S Companies of Syracuse designed the center, Sumner adds.

Innovare contends it enables a “robust high-tech entrepreneurial, [research & development], and educational ecosystem” for the region and the nation by “driving advancements in key strategic areas,” including artificial intelligence/machine learning; cybersecurity; and quantum, with Innovare-connected research “taking place at partnering organizations all over the world,” per the release.

“AFRL is committed to transformational areas of [science and technology] like quantum, and we are excited to bring together the world’s leading researchers and trailblazers across government, industry, and academia,” Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle, commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Materiel Command in Dayton, Ohio, said. “This million-dollar international quantum accelerator and the Innovare open campus provide new opportunities to accelerate quantum basic research and facilitate innovation.”

The Innovare launch is a “significant step forward” in implementing the National Quantum Initiative Act, which aims to foster the development of a quantum technology ecosystem among government, industry, and academia. 

Innovare and its strategic partners seek to engage partners in the above technology areas through entrepreneurial ventures and tech startups, in addition to building a “robust talent pipeline at a time when scientific advancement across boundaries is needed now more than ever to remain economically and strategically competitive in this fast-changing world.”

“Oneida County continues to emerge as a global epicenter for high-tech innovation and advancement,” Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente, Jr. contended. “As the Innovare Advancement Center begins to take shape at our Griffiss International Airport in Rome, the partnership we have forged with Rome Lab, the Griffiss Institute, and SUNY will lead this region to new heights. This Quantum U Tech Accelerator event will be a great opportunity to showcase the amazing things that are on the horizon.”

About the accelerator

The Accelerator event will connect QIS researchers to advance technologies and applications in this critical area. A total of 48 teams across four quantum tracks related to timing, sensing, information processing/computing, and communications/networking are expected to compete before a panel of cross-agency quantum leaders. 

The top performing university teams will be eligible for more than $1 million in basic research funding provided by the AFRL/RI, AFOSR, and ONR.

This competition builds upon the success of the QIS 1st international workshop, hosted by AFRL/RI and held at SUNY Polytechnic Institute. The event enabled nearly 200 researchers and leaders from 13 countries to share their discoveries and advancements in this “rapidly expanding” field, facilitating “invaluable opportunities” to connect with the agencies spearheading or taking part in the experience.

“Significantly, the Accelerator will act as a launching pad for the discovery and promotion of international university collaborations and research in the pursuit of novel quantum solutions,” Col. Timothy Lawrence, director of the Information Directorate and Commander, Detachment 4, Air Force Research Laboratory, said. 

William Wolf, president of Griffiss Institute, added, “This $1 [million] International Quantum U Tech Accelerator is an exciting way to share with the world the new Innovare Advancement Center, which will continue to push talent and technologies “into the new’ for years to come.”

Getting involved

A link to the request for proposal (RFP) for those interested in taking part in the Accelerator is available at this website: https://www.innovare.org/innovare-news.   

Additional information about Innovare Advancement Center and updates related to the International Quantum U Tech Accelerator are available at  www.innovare.org.