UTC Quantum Center Director Rick Mukherjee helped explain the basics of quantum before discussing the center’s research goals. Photo by Angela Foster.
For innovation, collaboration isn’t an option; it’s a requirement.
On Thursday, March 12, the CO.LAB, in conjunction with the the Max Fuller Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship—housed in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Gary W. Rollins College of Business—hosted a Quantum in Action event at the UTC Wolford Family Athletic Center to promote collaboration between industry leaders, scientists and research experts to discuss the future of quantum in the Chattanooga region.
The event was sponsored by CO.LAB, IonQ and the Tennessee Technology Advancement Consortium, with participation from the Chattanooga Quantum Collaborative (CQC), EPB and Tennessee Tech University.
The event focused on one central question: “How does quantum research become real-world economic impact?”
Representatives from the UTC’s Rollins College of Business, the College of Engineering and Computer Science and UTC Quantum Center—all part of the CO.LAB’s Quantum Activation Series—were in attendance.
“This is where research becomes pilots, where pilots become products, where products become companies and jobs, that is what leadership looks like,” UTC Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Mina Sartipi said.
“What makes today especially exciting is that this event not only sits within science and engineering; it also brings the Gary W. Rollins College of Business and the Max Fuller Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, because quantum innovation without a commercialization strategy means that we are leaving value on the table. This represents the next step in our quantum journey.”
UTC Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Mina Sartipi served as the keynote speaker.
As part of the event, there were four informational sessions about different aspects of the future of quantum.
The first session, titled “Tennessee’s Quantum Research Portfolio,” aimed to explain where quantum research is currently at through presentations from research experts from Middle Tennessee University, Tennessee Tech University, Vanderbilt University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and UTC.
The UTC panel representative was UTC Quantum Center Director Rick Mukherjee, who stressed the importance of collaboration.
“One thing that resonates across the panel, which you’ve heard and I would like to echo, is that indeed to make quantum a success—both at the level of research, innovation and for commercialization—all hands on board are needed,” Mukherjee said. “This means we need physicists. We need engineers, computer scientists and mathematicians. That’s how we’re going to solve problems, and that’s what we also believe here at UTC.”
He explained that the center has three main research topics: quantum computing, quantum networking and quantum sensing.
As a founding member of CQC, UTC has worked closely with EPB, ORNL, CO.LAB and IonQ to help bring research to life.
“From the very beginning, this effort has been built on collaboration and partnership,” Sartipi said.
Along with UTC being the first United States university to host a quantum node—through EPB’s Quantum Network—Sartipi explained the importance of education in the field in preparing the next generation for work in quantum.
“UTC is home to Tennessee’s first undergraduate quantum certificate program, and in 2024, we launched Tennessee’s first undergraduate degree in quantum physics,” she said. “That means we’re not waiting for workforce solutions. We are building tomorrow’s quantum workforce right now, right here. UTC is also Tennessee’s only university with hardware expertise in long-distance quantum sensing.”
The second session discussed quantum in business and was titled “From Lab to Market.” Members of the panel were from organizations that utilized or were preparing to utilize quantum technology. Tennessee Valley Authority, CQC, QBlox and Davidson Technologies discussed the business capabilities of quantum.
The third session featured UTC Executive Director of Economic and Workforce Development Jermaine Freeman and members of EPB and IonQ discussing quantum’s impact on companies, the talent field and job opportunities.
The final session, titled “De-Risking Commercialization,” featured panelists from LaunchTN, EPB, CO.LAB and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
“This is the movement we are leading,” Sartipi said. “Chattanooga has already proven what is possible when the city embraces bold infrastructure, starting with gig internet. Quantum networking is the next generation of that infrastructure. UTC is proud to be standing next to our community partner in building that future.”
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