INQS NOFO FINAL_FULL ANNOUNCEMENT.pdf

NOFOAFRLAFOSR20250004 INQS NOFO FINAL

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Fiscal Year 2025

This is a special Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement (NOFO) sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), which will hereafter generally referred to as “we, us, our, or AFOSR”. AFOSR recognizes that future areas of research may not fall within its existing portfolio structure and has thus initiated the INnovations in Qubit Science for Fault Tolerant Quantum Computing (INQS) Program, which is focused on the topic area of creative qubit approaches.

AFOSR anticipates making at least eight (8) awards of approximately $150,000 to $750,000 per year per award with period of performance of two (2) to five (5) years. All funding projects are based on the quality of the proposals and the availability of funds.

Proposers are encouraged to confer with the designated AFOSR Program Officer(s) prior to submitting a full proposal. We will evaluate proposals using an internal review panel. AFOSR reserves the right to select and fund all, some, or none of the proposals from any of the topics below. AFOSR provides no funding for direct reimbursement of proposal development costs.

Technical and budget proposals (or any other material) submitted in response to this NOFO will not be returned. It is the policy of AFOSR to treat all white papers and proposals submitted under this NOFO as sensitive competitive information and to disclose their contents only for the purposes of evaluation.

White papers briefly summarizing the proposing institution’s ideas are encouraged but not required. Submit white papers to our whitepaper portal, which is linked below. The topic points of contact (POCs) will coordinate to provide feedback to white papers.

The proposals will need to include a data management plan, outlining how samples and data collected in the program will be stored and managed. This includes but is not restricted to issues such as: standards for data and metadata collection, content and format, data archiving, database management, and data sharing within, outside the awardee and beyond the lifetime of the grant.

This precondition is modeled on the National Science Foundation Data Management Plan requirement (e.g., https://nsf.gov/eng/general/ENG_DMP_Policy.pdf).

IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants should be alert for any amendments that may modify the announcement. Amendments to the original Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will be posted to the Grants.gov Webpage: https://www.grants.gov/.

Hyperlinks have been embedded within this document and appear as underlined, and or blue- colored words in the midst of paragraphs. The reader may “jump” to the linked section within this document by “clicking” (CTRL + CLICK or CLICK).

Table of Contents

A. BASIC INFORMATION

1. Federal Awarding Agency Name

2. Funding Opportunity Title

3. Announcement Type

4. Funding Opportunity Number

5. Assistance Listing Number

6. Funding Details

7. Key Dates

8. Executive Summary

9. Agency Contact Information

B. ELIGIBILITY

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Cost Sharing

3. Other

C. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

D. APPLICATION CONTENT AND FORMAT

1. Pre-Proposal Inquiries and Questions

2. The Application as a Whole

3. Components Pieces of the Application

4. Information You Must Submit If Selected for Possible Award

E. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES

1. Address to Request Application Package https://nsf.gov/eng/general/ENG_DMP_Policy.pdf https://www.grants.gov/

2. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

3. Submission Instructions & Grants.gov Application Registration

4. Application Submission and Receipt Procedures . Error! Bookmark not defined.

5. Submission Dates and Times ................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

6. Intergovernmental Review

7. Funding Restrictions

8. Other Submission Requirements

F. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Criteria

2. Review and Selection process

3. Disclosure of Administrative Processing by Contractor Personnel

4. Security Risk Review

5. No Guaranteed Award

G. AWARD NOTICES

1. Selection Notices

2. Award Notices

H. POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION .. Error! Bookmark not defined.

1. Administration and National Policy Requirements

2. Reporting

I. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Ombudsman

2. Grants and Contracting Officer Authority

3. Funding Opportunities

A. BASIC INFORMATION

1. Federal Awarding Agency Name Air Force Office of Scientific Research 875 North Randolph Street Arlington, VA 22203

2. Funding Opportunity Title Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 “INnovations in Qubit Science for Fault Tolerant Quantum Computing (INQS)”

3. Announcement Type Initial Announcement. Note that although this is a one-time opportunity, it is anticipated that this could be a recurring funding opportunity.

4. Funding Opportunity Number

NOFOAFRLAFOSR20250004

5. Assistance Listing Number

12.800 Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program

6. Funding Details AFOSR intends to fund a minimum of eight (8) awards, in the amount of $150,000 to $750,000 per year, for a maximum of five (5) years. The expected value of each award is anticipated to be $300,000 to $3,750,000. The total amount of funding and the number of awards is pending on the quality of the proposals and the availability of funds.

7. Key Dates Pre-proposal inquiries and questions, regarding white papers and the submission of those white papers, must be received in writing by electronic mail to the address(es) listed under section A.9.a. of this NOFO not later than 24 February 2025 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time to be considered. The Government will respond to any pre-proposal inquiries or questions via public posting, or individual responses, no later than COB on 03 March 2025.

White papers must be received by submitting to https://community.apan.org/wg/afosr/p/submitawhitepaper by 17 March 2025 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time to be considered. White paper evaluation is meant to initially assess the capability of a proposed effort and is NOT a selection process. White papers must be https://community.apan.org/wg/afosr/p/submitawhitepaper no more no more than five (5) pages in length. References and CV/bios will not count against the page limit. White papers should minimally articulate:

a) An initial list of members of the proposed team with a short bio or CV for each (CVs and/or bios will not count against page limit)

b) The main technical components of the proposed research and how it aligns with the goals of the solicitation.

c) The specific proposed activities with a demonstrated understanding of the basic science needs.

Government will respond on white paper determination before COB on 04 April 2025.

Pre-proposal inquiries and questions must be received in writing by electronic mail to the address(es) listed under section A.9.a. of this NOFO not later than 11 April 2025 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time to be considered. The Government will respond to any pre-proposal inquiries or questions via public posting, or individual responses, no later than COB on 18 April 2025.

Proposals must be received electronically through Grants.gov by 12 May 2025 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time to be considered.

We anticipate that we will notify proposers of selection or non-selection for award no later than 02 June 2025. We anticipate awards to be made by 28 July 2025, barring delays.

8. Executive Summary The INQS program is a collaboration between AFOSR and LPS, and we seek revolutionary qubit approaches to quantum computation that have the potential to significantly advance scalable fault-tolerant quantum computing (FTQC) beyond current state-of-the-art methods.

This NOFO invites proposals for basic research into solid-state qubits for quantum computing at various stages of maturity. Qubits of interest may support one or more of the required functions in a FTQC system. These functions may include, but are not limited to, data processing, memory storage, communication, spectator roles, or measurement.

9. Agency Contact Information

a) Technical Inquires and Questions

You should submit your questions in writing by electronic mail to the Program Officer responsible for your topic(s) of interest from C. Program Description. You should include the NOFO number in the subject line.

The technical contact for this announcement is as follows:

SECTION PROGRAM OFFICER(s) EMAIL C Dr. Jiwei Lu, AFOSR/RTB jiwei.lu@us.af.mil

If you submit a question via telephone call, fax message, or any other means, you may not receive a response.

b) General Inquires and Questions You must send all general questions and inquiries about this announcement by email.

Your questions will generally be consolidated with other questions and posted on grants.gov so everyone gets the same information. We may provide an individual response by email if your question does not apply to everyone else.

MS. ALEAH L. PARKER, AFOSR/RBKR1

GRANTS OFFICER

Email: aleah.parker@us.af.mil mailto:jiwei.lu@us.af.mil mailto:aleah.parker@us.af.mil

B. ELIGIBILITY

1. Eligible Applicants

a) Qualified and Responsible United States and Foreign Educational & Non- Profit Institutions You are eligible to submit an application if you are a qualified and responsible organization from academia, the non-profit sector, and industry. Academia includes educational institutions in the United States as defined at 10 U.S.C. 2194.

Educational institution means a local educational agency, college, university, or any other nonprofit institution dedicated to improving science, mathematics, and engineering education. We review your application, proposal, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) designated repositories of government-wide public and non-public data, including comments you have made, as required by 41 U.S.C. 2313 and described in 2 CFR 200.205 and 32 CFR 22.410 to assess risk posed by applicants, and confirm applicants are qualified, responsible, and eligible to receive an award.

b) HBCU/MI, Tribal College and University Applicants Encouraged Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions (HBCUs/MSIs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities are encouraged to submit research proposals and join others in submitting proposals. However, no funds under this announcement are reserved or otherwise set-aside for any specific entity type. The Air Force will only use the F.1. Criteria for proposal selection.

c) University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs)

University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) are eligible to submit proposals under this announcement unless their Department of Defense UARC contract precludes the application.

d) Ineligible Entities

None of the following entity types are eligible to submit proposals as primary award recipients under this announcement

(i) Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs)

(ii) Individual persons or people

(iii) Federal agencies (to include Military Educational Institutions)

2. Cost Sharing

Cost sharing or cost matching is neither required nor an evaluation criterion for proposals under this announcement. You may propose voluntary committed or uncommitted cost sharing or matching, for example, additional support for students.

Any voluntary committed cost sharing amount will be included in the total award value.

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3. Other

a) Acknowledgment of Support and Disclaimer Requirements You must include the H.1.e. Acknowledgment of Research Support on all materials created or produced under our awards. The H.1.f. Disclaimer Language must be included on materials as required. The award document may provide additional instructions about specific distribution statements to use when you provide research materials to us. You are not eligible to submit a proposal if you cannot accept these terms.

b) Expectation of Public Dissemination of Research Results We expect research funded by this announcement will be fundamental. We expect public dissemination of research results if you receive an award. This is a basic requirement for unclassified research results. We intend, to the fullest extent possible, to make available to the public all unclassified, unlimited peer-reviewed scholarly publications and digitally formatted scientific data arising from research and programs funded wholly or in part by the DoD as described in the OUSD, AT&L Memorandum, “Public Access to Department of Defense-Funded Research” dated 09 Jul 2014.

We follow DoD Instruction 5230.24 and DoD Instruction 5230.27 policies and procedures to ensure broad dissemination of unclassified research results to the public and within the Government. The DoD Instruction 5230.27policy and procedures allowing publication and public presentation of unclassified fundamental research results will apply to all research proposed under this competition unless the Program Officer gives you an explicit, written exclusion to these policies with the Grants or Contracting Officer’s advice and consent. All exclusions must be authorized or required by law and must cite a valid legal authority.

You must provide a copy of all peer-reviewed publications developed or produced from research conducted with Air Force and Space Force funds to our Program Officer.

You are not eligible to submit a proposal if you cannot accept these terms.

https://discover.dtic.mil/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/memo_public_access_kendall_20140709.pdf https://discover.dtic.mil/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/memo_public_access_kendall_20140709.pdf https://discover.dtic.mil/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/memo_public_access_kendall_20140709.pdf https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/523024p.pdf?ver=2020-06-12-112557-280 https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/523027p.pdf?ver=2019-04-04-095230-883 https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/523027p.pdf?ver=2019-04-04-095230-883

c) Disclosure of Conflict of Commitment and Conflict of Interest This announcement requires that all current and pending research support, as defined by Section 223 of the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act must be disclosed at the time of proposal, for all covered individuals. Such disclosure will be updated annually during the performance of any research project selected for funding, and whenever covered individual are added or identified as performing under this project. Covered Individuals are those who are listed as key personnel on proposals including but not restricted to the principal investigator or co-principal investigator.

Any decision to accept a proposal for funding under this announcement will include full reliance on the applicant’s statements. Failure to report fully and completely all sources of project support and outside positions and affiliations may be considered a materials statement within the meaning of the federal False Claims Act and constitute a violation of law.

The funding agency may conduct a pre-award conflict of interest/conflict of commitment review of any proposal selected for funding, as defined in the National Security Strategy for United States Government-Supported Research and Development (NSPM-33). Offerors are advised that any significant conflict of interest/conflict of commitment identified may be a basis for the rejection of an otherwise awardable proposal.

(i) General Requirement for Disclosure: You and your organization must disclose any potential or actual scientific or non- scientific Conflict of Interest(s) to us.

You must also disclose any potential or actual conflict(s) of interest for any subrecipient you include in your proposal.

You must provide enough information for us to evaluate your disclosure. We may have to ask you more questions if we need more information.

At our discretion, we may ask you for a conflict-of-interest mitigation plan after you submit your proposal. Your plan is subject to our approval.

(ii) Scientific Conflict of Interest: Scientific collaborations on research and development projects are generally the result of close collaboration prior to the submission of applications for support. Accordingly, virtually all of these collaborations might be considered to include a potential conflict of interest.

The potential conflict is mitigated by the disclosure of these collaborations, and the list of current and pending support you provide for senior and key researchers.

C. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Air Force Office of Science and Research (AFOSR) in collaboration with the Laboratory for Physical Sciences (LPS) is soliciting for proposals for research under the Innovations in Qubit Science for Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing (INQS) program. The topic areas that we seek to support with this NOFO are independent from those described in our open BAA entitled “Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research” and do not fall https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/010422-NSPM-33-Implementation-Guidance.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/010422-NSPM-33-Implementation-Guidance.pdf completely within any one research program. We seek to support multidisciplinary research efforts, creating synergies to speed DoD-relevant research and development.

Basic and applied research is defined in the DoD Financial Management Regulation:

Basic research is systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications towards processes or products in mind. It includes all scientific study and experimentation directed toward increasing fundamental knowledge and understanding in those fields of the physical, engineering, environmental, and life sciences related to long-term national security needs. It is farsighted high payoff research that provides the basis for technological progress (DoD 7000.14-R, vol. 2B, chap. 5, para. 050201.B).

Applied research is systematic study to understand the means to meet a recognized and specific need. It is a systematic expansion and application of knowledge to develop useful materials, devices, and systems or methods. It may be oriented, ultimately, toward the design, development, and improvement of prototypes and new processes to meet general mission area requirements. Applied research may translate promising basic research into solutions for broadly defined military needs, short of system development. This type of effort may vary from systematic mission-directed research beyond that in Budget Activity 1 to sophisticated breadboard hardware, study, programming and planning efforts that establish the initial feasibility and practicality of proposed solutions to technological challenges. It includes studies, investigations, and non-system specific technology efforts. The dominant characteristic is that applied research is directed toward general military needs with a view toward developing and evaluating the feasibility and practicality of proposed solutions and determining their parameters. Applied research precedes system specific technology investigations or development. Program control of the applied research program element is normally exercised by general level of effort. Program elements in this category involve pre- Milestone B efforts, also known as Concept and Technology Development phase tasks, such as concept exploration efforts and paper studies of alternative concepts for meeting a mission need (DoD 7000.14-R, vol. 2B, chap. 5, para. 050201.C).

Detailed descriptions and the government point(s) of contact can be found below. The descriptions are intended to provide the applicant a frame of reference and are not meant to be restrictive to the possible approaches and component solutions to achieving the goals of the topic and the program. Innovative ideas addressing these research topics are highly encouraged.

Proposals from an investigator team from multiple university departments and universities are warranted to assemble the expertise necessary to address the topics. Teams are also highly encouraged to leverage industry collaborations, where appropriate, to demonstrate an ability to develop solutions that can be eventually applied to a specific application. Proposals shall name one Principal Investigator (PI) as the responsible technical point of contact. Similarly, one institution shall be the primary awardee for the purpose of award execution. The PI shall https://comptroller.defense.gov/portals/45/documents/fmr/current/02b/02b_05.pdf https://comptroller.defense.gov/portals/45/documents/fmr/current/02b/02b_05.pdf come from the primary institution. The relationship among participating institutions and their respective roles, as well as the apportionment of funds including sub-awards, if any, shall be described in both the proposal text and budget.

The schedule for this announcement is given in A.7 Key Dates.

(i) SYNOPOSIS

This program seeks revolutionary qubit approaches to quantum computation that have the potential to significantly advance scalable fault-tolerant quantum computing (FTQC) beyond current state-of-the-art methods.1

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites proposals for basic research into solid-state qubits for quantum computing at various stages of maturity. Qubits of interest may support one or more of the required functions in a FTQC system. These functions may include, but are not limited to, data processing, memory storage, communication, spectator roles, or measurement. Proposals should clearly address: (1) the function(s) the qubit is expected to serve, (2) how it can be integrated into a plausible FTQC system, and (3) its potential to advance toward qubits suitable for FTQC. Furthermore, proposals must align with one of the following themes:

Theme 1: New Qubits

This theme explores completely novel or underdeveloped qubits2 that have both a credible research path toward utility in an FTQC system and promising advantages over current state-of-the-art methods.1

Theme 2: Renew Qubits

This theme focuses on applying unconventional approaches—such as novel qubit operation techniques, fabrication methods, or designs—to significantly advance specific qubit functions in state-of-the-art quantum processors1 for utility in plausible FTQC systems.

All proposing teams are required to submit an initial whitepaper to enable feedback from the program officer before full proposal development. Furthermore, proposers are highly encouraged to contact the Program Officer prior to developing this whitepaper to discuss the proposed research, the intended proposal type/theme, and any submission target dates. To initiate the discussion, submit via email a short research summary that describes the approach to be investigated. Following white paper submission and if funding is available, the submission of a full proposal may be either encouraged or discouraged.

Note: This NOFO focuses exclusively on circuit model fault-tolerant quantum computation.

1 State-of-the-art qubit systems have already demonstrated high-fidelity two-qubit gates (F > 99%), and met the DiVincenzo criteria, which include some superconducting qubit, spin qubit, and atomic systems.

2 Underdeveloped qubits are not yet state-of-the-art and have yet to demonstrate high-fidelity multi-qubit operations.

(ii) BACKGROUND

A quantum processor requires quantum coherent elements that perform a range of functions.

These functions may be carried out by a single type of qubit or by different types, each optimized for its specific role. Ultimately, the full set of quantum-coherent hardware used for universal quantum computation must collectively meet several key characteristics, known as the DiVincenzo criteria:3 These include scalability, initializability, stability, controllability, and measurability of the qubit system. While data qubits store quantum information, other qubit roles —such as ancilla qubits, memory qubits, and readout qubits—may also be needed to satisfy the DiVincenzo criteria. Though all functions of a quantum processor may be achieved with a single type of qubit, this is not required; a diverse set of qubit types, each adapted to specific functions, is also an option.

For a quantum processor to tolerate errors and be useful for quantum computation, i.e. to be a good candidate for FTQC, quantum error correction protocols are essential. Because these protocols use many physical qubits to encode a single logical qubit, the underlying, and possibly diverse, set of physical qubits must support scalable, and interconnected high-fidelity arrays of qubits. While there is an ever-growing set of quantum error correcting codes (QECs) and methods4,5,6 (for example: erasure error detection, bosonic codes, surface codes, etc), these protocols impose unique and stringent quantitative requirements, (e.g. error-correcting thresholds), to ensure reliable performance. Hence, the underlying quantum hardware in a quantum processor must meet an essential—though not exhaustive—set of criteria necessary to achieve FTQC thresholds, which are:

FTQC criteria

• High qubit fidelities (initialization, control and readout): QEC codes often impose stringent requirements on gate fidelities to achieve fault tolerance.

• Connectivity: Better connectivity facilitates a broader implementation of QECs.

• Mid-circuit measurement: The ability to measure a subset of qubits without impacting another subset is essential to detection and correction of error.

• Low cross-talk: Targeted qubit addressability during initialization, control and readout reduces operational complexity in a many-qubit system.

• Reliable fabrication: High probability that qubits will function as designed (predictable qubit parameters) after fabrication.

3 D. P. DiVincenzo, "The Physical Implementation of Quantum Computation", Fortschritte der Physik. 48 (9–11):

771–783, 2000 4 D. Aharonov, M. Ben-Or, "Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computation with Constant Error Rate". SIAM Journal on Computing. 38 (4): 1207–1282, 2008.

5 E. Knill, "Resilient Quantum Computation". Science. 279 (5349): 342–345, 1998.

6 A. Y. Kitaev, "Fault-tolerant quantum computation by anyons". Annals of Physics. 303 (1): 2–30, 2003.

• Reliable and resilient qubits: High probability that qubits will have stable lifetimes and control parameters, when subject to intrinsic or extrinsic noise.

• Compatible with achievable environments: Qubits must be operable in a realistic environment to include thermal environment, noise environment and radiative environment.

While several experimental quantum processors have met the minimal standards to perform basic quantum computing algorithms, implementing error-correcting codes where logical qubits outperform physical qubits for all operations remains elusive. One approach to exceed error-correcting thresholds is to concurrently target the above FTQC criteria by incrementally improving current state-of-the-art .1 An alternative path is to seek a more revolutionary approach that involves pursuing underdeveloped qubit platforms or completely refactoring state-of-the-art methods1 to target the improvement of one or more of the above FTQC criteria.

The goal of this NOFO is to support the latter revolutionary approach to FTQC. Specifically, to find or refactor approaches to quantum processor qubits that can offer substantial advantages over current state-of-the-art methods1 with respect to one or more of the FTQC criteria, while simultaneously leaving a path to satisfying the remaining criteria. In particular, this NOFO is focused on the total functionality of a system of qubits that collectively satisfy the FTQC criteria, i.e. an FTQC system. Again, the qubits may be one or more types of qubits which are uniquely optimized to the set of functions required for an FTQC system, e.g. data qubits, ancilla qubits, readout qubits, etc.

(iii) GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSALS Proposals submitted to this program must align with one of the following themes. The proposed objectives must be relevant to gate-based, fault-tolerant approaches to quantum computing.

Proposals with scope across themes and/or levels will not be considered.

a. Theme 1 - New Qubits:

Proposers must focus on developing and exploring underdeveloped solid-state quantum systems for novel quantum computing modalities that can significantly enhance FTQC capabilities.

Proposed platforms must present a distinct and measurable advantage over current state-of-the-art methods1 in one or more of the FTQC criteria listed above by leveraging their unique qualities. Within this theme, proposals shall be submitted to one of three levels based on the maturity of the approach and scope of the research for exploring and developing new qubits.

The three levels should be viewed as a means for research topics to progress from concept (Imagine) to early demonstration (Glimpse), to a level that seeks to rigorously validate a qubit modality (Benchmark). It is worth noting here, proposals shall target only one Level within one Theme, each year this NOFO is published. We emphasize that the goal of this theme is to foster novel qubits from theoretical conception to basic qubit benchmarking and multiqubit operation.

Consequently, some research topics could mature through all three levels as three serially supported projects. Each of the levels are detailed below.

Level 1 Imagine New Qubits (≤ 2-year efforts):

• Focus: Proposals shall focus on theoretical analysis, modeling and simulation to predict and propose new qubits.

• Entrance criteria: In order to be eligible for an Imagine proposal, the proposing team must already have identified discretized states in a microscopic or mesoscopic system which yields a novel property that could, in theory, lead to better qubits with the forementioned advantages with respect to the FTQC criteria outlined above whilst potentially remaining competitive with the error rates of state-of-the-art quantum gates. Successful proposals shall detail the analytical or numerical methods that will be employed to demonstrate (1) the function(s) the qubit is expected to serve, (2) how it can be integrated into a plausible FTQC system, and (3) its potential to advance toward qubits suitable for FTQC.

• End goals: Imagine New Qubits projects7 shall, by the end of two years, theoretically develop protocols for experimentally validating qubit operation and performance with respect to the function(s) the qubit serves. Moreover, they shall identify potential technical challenges and mitigation plans to experimentally realize single and multiqubit devices that align with the FTQC criteria. These technical challenges could be, for instance, dominant sources of noise or difficulties in fabrication. Furthermore, Imagine projects that demonstrate a path to overcoming these challenges may be encouraged to submit a Level 2 Glimpse New Qubits proposal to a future publication of this NOFO (assuming all Entrance criteria are sufficiently addressed).

• Duration and Budget: Proposal period-of-performance can be up to 2 years with a budget of approximately $150,000 per year.

Level 2 Glimpse New Qubits (≤ 3-year efforts):

• Focus: Proposals shall focus on experimental demonstrations, supported by theoretical direction and analysis, to illustrate the advantages of a conceptualized quantum processor as well as basic demonstrations to illustrate a path to an FTQC system.

• Entrance criteria: To be eligible for a Glimpse proposal, the proposing team must already have theoretically or experimentally identified discretized states which enjoy some novel property that could lead to a better quantum processor in the sense of the FTQC criteria. Moreover, the proposing team must have theoretically developed protocols for experimentally validating qubit operation and performance with respect to the function(s) the new qubit serves. As an example, promising proposals with a strong theory and experimental team that capitalize on encouraging results from a Level 1 Imagine New Qubits project (or other similar effort), would be eligible for this support. Proposals must identify potential challenges and solutions towards implementing (1) the function(s) the qubit is expected to serve, (2) how it can be integrated into a plausible FTQC system, and (3) its potential to advance toward qubits suitable for FTQC.

• End goals: Glimpse New Qubits projects7 shall, by the end of three years, experimentally study the function(s) the proposed new qubit is expected to serve, 7 A project is defined as a proposal that is selected to, and, participates in the INQS program.

identify challenges, and demonstrate a path to overcoming those challenges. A stretch goal shall be to experimentally demonstrate, with high performance, the set of intended function(s) the new qubit serves. Furthermore, projects shall aim to extract the major contributing error rates with a plausible path to reduce quantum error rates (single and multi-qubit control, readout, and initialization) such that the envisioned qubit-system is compatible with QEC. By the end of the period-of-performance of a Glimpse New Qubits project, major experimental challenges may be identified.

However, efforts that have a viable path to overcoming these issues supported by detailed error analysis, experimental and theoretical evidence, and in a manner compatible with satisfying the FTQC criteria, may be encouraged to submit a Level 3 Benchmark New Qubits proposal (assuming all Level 3 Entrance criteria are sufficiently addressed).

• Duration and Budget: Proposal period-of-performance can be up to 3 years with a budget of up to $500,000 per year.

Level 3 Benchmark New Qubits (≤ 5-year efforts):

• Focus: Proposals shall experimentally demonstrate the function(s), error budgets, backed by theoretical modeling, and measure gate fidelity benchmarks in systems of two or more qubits through rigorous experiments and modeling, while simultaneously demonstrating the aforementioned advantageous properties of the new qubit with respect to the FTQC criteria.

• Entrance criteria: In order to be eligible for a Benchmark proposal, the proposing team must already have demonstrated experimental functionality in service to the FTQC system and an advantage(s) with respect to the FTQC criteria of novel qubits, though major challenges in a high fidelity multiqubit universal gates may still need to be overcome. However, a path to overcome those challenges shall be described in the proposal. As an example, promising proposals with a clear plan to overcome challenges observed in a completed or ongoing Level 2 Glimpse project (or other source/proposal), would be eligible for this support. Proposals must identify potential challenges and solutions towards (1) partial integration of the new qubit with qubits of complimentary functionality for a plausible FTQC system and (2) benchmarking multiqubit operation of the qubits functionality. For instance, if the new qubit is intended for memory, a successful proposal must plan to (1) integrate the new qubit with conventional data processing qubits and (2) benchmark the coherence time of the new memory qubit. It should be noted that a clear and credible path to a ten-qubit high fidelity device shall be presented in the proposal, however, demonstrations beyond two qubits are not required.

• End goals: By the end of five years a Benchmark project7 shall demonstrate multi-qubit coherent interactions and characterize the sources of errors and decoherence.

Researchers must provide a detailed understanding of the error budgets and propose methods to improve these metrics. At the end of the period-of-performance, either the technology should be mature enough to transition to a program funding state-of-the-art qubits1 with low error universal quantum gates and low error readout, or other lines of research will be encouraged.

• Duration and Budget: Proposals are expected to last up to 5 years with a budget of up to $750,000 per year.

Out of Scope for Theme 1: This theme is not intended to support proposals focusing on qubit modalities that have already demonstrated error rates for state-prep and measurement, as well as single and two-qubit gate error rates that are below 1%. Additionally, novel reconfigurations of existing technologies, such as re-designed conventional superconducting materials, will not be prioritized. Such efforts however may be suitable for theme 2 below, focused on “Renew Qubits”. Also out of scope for Theme 1 are approaches noted within the “FURTHER PROPOSAL GUIDANCE” section below.

b. Theme 2 - Renew Qubits:

The Renew qubits theme focuses on developing new fabrication techniques and materials, device redesigns or novel operation techniques for leading solid-state qubits and which could ultimately become standard best practices due to the enablement of certain advantages in the sense of the FTQC criteria. As an example, proposing teams to this theme could aim to disrupt current fabrication and design paradigms and either introduce significant improvements in state-of-the-art qubit1 resilience and performance (e.g. making qubits more resilient to specific sources of noise like cosmic rays or reducing dielectric loss by eliminating deleterious materials from the device stack targeting high fidelity and low crosstalk), or introduce new functionality (e.g. qubits optimized for communication or environmental sensing and adaptation). In this theme, there are again three levels for proposals, terraced by maturity; Level 1 Reimagine Qubits supports theoretical investigations into novel concepts; Level 2 Glimpse Renewed Qubits supports early proof-of-concept experimental investigations and Level 3 Benchmark Enhanced Qubits focuses on thorough refinement and detailed benchmarking of approaches which have already demonstrated some success.

Level 1 Reimagine Qubits (≤ 2-year efforts):

• Focus: Proposals shall focus on theoretical analysis, modeling and simulation to predict and propose qubit reimagining current state-of-the-art qubits.1

• Entrance criteria: In order to be eligible for a Reimagine project, the proposing team must have identified the limitations of current state-of-the-art qubits1 with-respect-to simultaneously satisfying all the above FTQC criteria. Successful proposals shall detail past theoretical or experimental analyses to understand these limitations, describe how their refactoring scheme could overcome them, and detail the theoretical methodologies by which they will analyze, model and/or simulate their idea. Furthermore, the proposal must explicitly state (1) the functionality of the renewed qubit in an FTQC system, (2) how it is expected to be integrated into an FTQC system, and (3) how, quantitatively, this renewed qubit is expected to improve state-of-the-art qubits.

• End Goals: By the end of two-years a Reimagine Qubits project7 shall have simulated or otherwise theoretically analyzed both the positive and negative impacts of the approach with-respect to satisfying the FTQC criteria. Projects in which the theoretical refactor of the renewed qubit are predicted to have the intended positive outcomes for a plausible FTQC system and there is a route to overcome any potential detrimental effects on the FTQC criteria, may be eligible to submit a Level

2 Glimpse Renewed Qubits proposal (assuming all Level 2 Entrance criteria are sufficiently addressed). If the detrimental effects to the qubit-system are insurmountable and outweigh the positive impacts, the researchers may be discouraged from a Level 2 Glimpse Renewed Qubits submission and thus a re-direction would be recommended.

• Duration and Budget: Re-imagine proposals can span up to 2 years with a maximum budget of $150,000 per year.

Level 2 Glimpse Renewed Qubits (≤ 3-year efforts):

• Focus: Proposals shall focus on proof-of-concept experimental methods or techniques, supported by theoretical direction and analysis, to dramatically improve current state-of-the-art qubits systems1 with respect to one or more of the FTQC criteria.

• Entrance criteria: In order to be eligible for a Glimpse proposal, the proposing team must already have reasonable confidence, based on theoretical modeling or data, that an experimental implementation of their renewed qubit would yield a qubit-system capable of holistically satisfying the FTQC criteria. As an example, promising Level 1 Reimagine Qubits projects would satisfy these criteria. Proposals must identify potential challenges on the path to a full implementation and include research plans to study and overcome these challenges. Moreover, proposals must identify potential challenges and solutions towards implementing (1) the function(s) the renewed qubit is expected to serve, (2) how it can be integrated into a plausible FTQC system, and (3) its potential to advance toward qubits suitable for FTQC.

• End Goals: The end goal of a Glimpse Renewed Qubits project7 is to have successfully, but likely in a proof-of-concept manner, implemented their qubit (albeit perhaps without optimizing for all the FTQC criteria simultaneously to-date), or to have discovered some challenges which appear insurmountable. Promising projects in the former category are eligible for Level 3 Benchmark Enhanced Qubits proposal while researchers who are part of proposals in the latter category maybe encouraged to reformulate their approach.

• Duration and Budget: Glimpse proposals can span up to 3 years with a maximum budget of $500,000 per year.

Level 3 Benchmark Enhanced Qubits (≤ 5 year efforts):

• Focus: Proposals shall experimentally refine and benchmark the proposed innovative methods or techniques in a state-of-the-art qubit-system1 and in a manner that improves one-or-more of the FTQC criteria while simultaneously maintaining performance of the remaining FTQC criteria.

• Entrance criteria: In order to be eligible for a Benchmark Enhanced Qubits project, the proposing team must already have (1) theoretically demonstrated that their renewed qubit could improve the performance or functionality of current quantum processors with respect to one-or-more of the FTQC criteria and (2) shown an experimental proof-of-concept implementation in their system, albeit with some deleterious effects to-date, which based on previous theoretical analyses, could be overcome, e.g. promising proposals from Level 2. Proposals must identify potential challenges and solutions towards (1) partial integration of the renewed qubit with qubits of complimentary functionality for a plausible FTQC system and (2) benchmarking multiqubit operation of the renewed qubits functionality. For instance, if the renewed qubit is intended for memory, a successful proposal must plan to (1) integrate the renewed qubit with conventional data processing qubits and

(2) benchmark the coherence time of the new memory qubit.

• End Goals: The end goal of a Benchmark Enhanced Qubits project7 is to thoroughly characterize and optimize the renewed qubit with respect to the envisioned FTQC system, which includes the proposed methods to enhance one-or-more of the FTQC criteria (e.g. additional functionality) without making backwards progress on the remaining FTQC criteria. Thus, all FTQC criteria of a proposed plausible FTQC system are expected to be carefully characterized as part of a Benchmark proposal. Realistic modeling and simulation efforts should inform the direction of the proposed research, quantify the expected outcomes, and provide feedback for optimization of experimental results.

• Duration and Budget: Benchmark proposals can span up to 5 years with a budget of up to $750,000 per year. The timeline should be justified based on the scope of the proposed research and its potential impact on qubit technology.

(iv) FURTHER PROPOSAL GUIDANCE

• This NOFO is soliciting research proposals to enter INQS program at varied levels of maturity. It is not required for all approaches to enter this program as a Level 1 (or 2) project, however, the program is designed to allow promising approaches to incrementally graduate from a proof-of-concept Level 1 (or 2) project through to a Level 3 Benchmark project. In order to graduate from level to level, proposers must submit a new proposal, following the guidance provided in this document.

• Teams shall propose quantitative yearly milestones addressing the FTQC criteria.

• Proposals shall align with one Level, in one Theme. Proposals with scope across themes and/or levels will not be considered.

• Furthermore, proposals to INQS must roadmap how their approach results in a FTQC system specifically addressing the set of quantum processor criteria required for FTQC described in the Background section of this NOFO.

(v) OUT-OF-SCOPE research topics

• Approaches that are incompatible with the set of quantum processor criteria required for

FTQC from the Background section of this NOFO.

• Approaches not compatible with gate-based quantum computing.

• Approaches with a known limit to scalability, unless this issue is solved with the proposed approach.

• Evolutionary refinements on mature qubit-system approaches.

(vi) TECHNICAL DETAILS OF PROPOSED RESEARCH

A strong proposal should outline, as specifically as possible, the technical details of the proposed research. In addition, proposals should articulate how research goals align with the research topic being addressed. Because of the breadth of research that spans our challenge categories, it is anticipated that groups that submit proposals will include researchers of diverse technical perspectives and technical backgrounds. Finally, efforts integrating a variety of approaches, with a spectrum ranging from basic to applied, are preferred to those using a single approach, especially as these may provide increased opportunities for technology transfer.

A strong proposal should outline, as specifically as possible, the technical details of the proposed research. In addition, proposals should articulate how research goals align with the research topic being addressed. Because of the breadth of research that spans our challenge categories, it is anticipated that groups that submit proposals will include researchers of diverse technical perspectives and technical backgrounds. Finally, efforts integrating a variety of approaches, with a spectrum ranging from basic to applied, are preferred to those using a single approach, especially as these may provide increased opportunities for technology transfer.

a) Access to DoD Resources

Proposals may request access to AFRL facilities or DoD high performance computing resources in order to conduct the proposed research. Proposals should make this request in accordance with the instructions given in the D.3.d. Project Narrative section of this announcement. If authorized, there is no cost to the research for these resources.

Applicants are advised that routine access of educational institution researchers to AFRL buildings and facilities is limited to U.S. citizens. Individuals eligible for access are subject to background checks.

(vii) FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Typical annual funding per grant will range from $150,000 to $750,000 per year/per award. Any proposer wishing to submit a proposal outside of this range should discuss their research plan with the relevant Program Officer during the whitepaper phase of this NOFO. The total amount of funding and resources made available to fund a successful proposal may vary based on the quality of proposals received and funds availability.

The anticipated period of performance is 2 to 5 years. Each yearly period will be incrementally funded.

AFOSR reserves the right to select and fund for award all, some, part, or none of the proposals received. There is no guarantee of an award.

Awards are made under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 4001 in the form of grants, or cooperative agreements. We rely on discretionary appropriated funds for this program. We select what kind of award instrument we can use based on requirements in the Federal Grant and Cooperative https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title10-section4001&num=0&edition=prelim

Agreement Act 31 U.S.C. 6301 – 31 U.S.C. 6308. We discuss regulations, terms, and conditions that generally apply to our awards in Section F. Federal Award

D. APPLICATION CONTENT AND FORMAT

1. Pre-Proposal Inquiries and Questions

You are encouraged to contact the Program Officer listed in section A.9.a. Technical Inquires and Questions before you submit your proposal.

If you need help with general matters, you should contact the individual listed in A.9.b. General Announcement Questions.

Your pre-proposal inquiries and questions should be submitted not later than 11:59 PM Eastern Time on 11 April 2025. AFOSR may not be able to answer questions received later. This is discussed more in section E.5.a. Submission Dates and Times.

The Government will respond to any pre-proposal inquiries or questions, either directly, or via public posting no later than COB on 18 April 2025.

The Program Officer does not have the authority to make commitments for the government. Grants and Contracting Officers acting within their warranted capacity are the only people authorized to make commitments for the Government.

2. The Application as a Whole You must submit your proposal electronically through Grants.gov. AFOSR will not accept or evaluate any proposal submitted by any means other than through Grants.gov. AFOSR must receive your proposal before the E.5.d. Proposal Submission Deadline.

You must use the electronic Standard Form (SF) 424 Research and Related (R&R) Form Family, OMB Number 4040-0001. The SF 424 (R&R) Application for Federal assistance form must be your cover page.