LPS Qubit Collaboratory (LQC)
NSA Laboratory for Physical Sciences (LPS) / Army Research Office (ARO)
Up to $800K/yr
NSA quantum qubit research grants
Open-ended cooperative research program from NSA's Laboratory for Physical Sciences and the Army Research Office targeting disruptive fundamental research in qubit development for quantum computing. Solicits research in solid-state quantum systems, quantum error correction, quantum sensing, and enabling quantum technologies. For-profit organizations including small businesses are eligible with no cost-sharing requirement. Awards include grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts depending on project type.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Amount range
- $50,000 – $2,400,000
- Realistic amount
- Most Incubator awards: $300,000–$500,000/year for 2 years. Collaboratory awards for multi-institution teams: $500,000–$8…
- Deadline
- Rolling — BAA open through April 30, 2027; proposals accepted on a continuous basis
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- reimbursement
Who qualifies
- Open to any entity type: for-profit companies, universities, nonprofits, FFRDCs, government labs, and individuals
- Research must address fundamental challenges in qubit development, quantum information science, or quantum computing-enabling technologies
- Collaboratory proposals require demonstrated partnerships between at least two qualifying institutions (academia + industry, or academia + government lab)
- QuaCR Research Fellowship track open to U.S. citizen graduate students and postdoctoral researchers only
- SAM.gov registration with active UEI required prior to award
- No cost-sharing requirement (no match required)
- No security clearance required — all LQC research is unclassified
Hard requirements
- Must be incorporated
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Personnel salaries and benefits for researchers, scientists, engineers
- Specialized laboratory equipment and instrumentation for qubit research
- Cryogenic systems, dilution refrigerators, and quantum-relevant lab supplies
- Computational resources for quantum simulation and modeling
- Travel to LPS for collaboration, infrastructure access, and program reviews
- Graduate student and postdoctoral researcher support
- Subcontracts to qualified partner institutions (Collaboratory track)
- Indirect costs at your organization's negotiated federal rate
Ineligible expenses
- Classified research (all LQC work is unclassified)
- Commercial product development as the primary objective (must be fundamental research)
- Construction or permanent facility modification
- Lobbying or advocacy activities
- Foreign national salary costs on classified activities (N/A — unclassified, but note: classified LPS collaborations are separate mechanisms)
How to apply
-
1
Identify proposal track
Choose your track: (a) Incubator — single PI or small group, unique concept or high-risk idea, leverages LPS infrastructure; (b) Collaboratory — multi-institutional team pursuing a 2–3 year research program; (c) QuaCR Fellowship — stipend support for a U.S. citizen grad student or postdoc.
~3 hrs
-
2
Contact LQC program staff for pre-proposal dialogue
LQC actively encourages pre-submission conversations. Email qcbox@army.mil (Andrew Day, Grants Officer) to introduce your research concept and get feedback on fit. This is a standard step, not optional — it significantly increases acceptance likelihood.
~3 hrs
-
3
Prepare technical proposal
Draft technical proposal covering: (1) research objectives and why they are disruptive, (2) technical approach and methodology, (3) team qualifications and access to LPS infrastructure if applicable, (4) deliverables and milestones per year, (5) broader impact on the quantum computing ecosystem.
~40 hrs
-
4
Prepare budget and cost narrative
Prepare detailed budget justification for each budget period (1 year at a time). No cost sharing required. Include indirect costs at your negotiated federal rate. Budget ceilings: Incubator $500K/yr, Collaboratory $800K/yr.
~10 hrs
-
5
Submit via Grants.gov and coordinate with ARO
Submit complete proposal package (technical + cost) through Grants.gov under opportunity W911NF21S0009. The Army Research Office administers awards; expect 3–6 months from submission to award for accepted proposals.
~4 hrs
Industry & certifications
NAICS codes: 541712, 334413, 541330
One of the few NSA/Army programs where a 5-person quantum startup competes on equal terms with university labs — no set-asides, no clearance required, no cost share. Access to LPS-unique infrastructure (dilution refrigerators, nanofabrication) is available to awardees; proposals that explicitly request infrastructure use score measurably better. The Incubator track is undersubscribed by industry — most applicants are academics, giving tight industry proposals real odds.
Deadline & timing
Continuously open rolling BAA with no fixed submission windows. NSA/ARO review proposals on a rolling basis as submitted. Early submission is advantageous — funds committed earlier in the fiscal year tend to have more flexibility on project design.
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Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.