Quantum Characterization, Calibration, and Control (QC3)

The Department of the Army Materiel Command, specifically the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory-Army Research Office (ARL-ARO) in partnership with the Laboratory for Physical Sciences (LPS), is soliciting research proposals for Quantum Characterization, Calibration, and Control (QC3). The four-year program focuses on three critical quantum computing research areas: (1) Characterization - quantitatively assessing qubit operation performance and extracting error models, (2) Calibration - advancing multi-qubit circuit bring-up for high-performance operations, and (3) Control - developing advanced control techniques for multi-qubit circuits operating near fault-tolerant thresholds. Proposals must address circuit gate-based quantum computation inefficiencies and improve characterization, calibration, and control schemes for qubit arrays in the 10s-100s of qubits scale. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit entities. Key submission deadlines include white papers due by 4:00 PM Eastern Time on May 30, 2025, with full proposals due by 4:00 PM Eastern Time on August 26, 2025.

The program anticipates multiple awards with expected funding levels ranging from $500,000 to $2.5 million in the first year, decreasing to $500,000 to $1.5 million in subsequent years. Research will be funded under the Basic Scientific Research program (CFDA 12.431) and will utilize various award instruments including grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts. The primary objective is to advance quantum computing research to provide technological advantages for national security, with a focus on developing techniques that can support early fault-tolerant quantum computing (FTQC) applications.