THIS EDA INVESTMENT FUNDS THE ILLINOIS QIST WORKFORCE PLANNING PROJECT, TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE WORKFORCE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN RELATED TO QUANTUM INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (QIST) TO IDENTIFY ACTIONS NEEDED TO ESTABLISH ROBUST QUANTUM INDUSTRIES WITH A DIVERSE AND SUSTAINABLE WORKFORCE. THE STUDY COMPONENTS WILL INCLUDE AN ANALYSIS TO GAUGE THE CURRENT STATE, FUTURE GROWTH, AND TECHNOLOGICAL AREAS THAT WILL INFLUENCE QIST LABOR DEMAND; QIST LABOR MARKET ANALYSIS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE LABOR NEEDS OF QIST ORGANIZATIONS; ASSESSMENT OF EXISTING QIST TRAINING INITIATIVES AND FACILITIES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND EXISTING GAPS. ONCE COMPLETED, THE PROJECT WILL DIVERSIFY AND STRENGTHEN THE REGIONAL ECONOMY.