Jane Edwards
The U.S. Air Force will host a virtual pitch day on Monday, June 15, to allow government officials, industry stakeholders, academia and small businesses to discuss and advance the development of quantum technologies in support of warfighters.
The Quantum Collider event will touch on several topics, including quantum timing, sensing, communication/networking and information processing/computing.
A panel of representatives from the Air Force Research Laboratory, program offices and major commands will hear pitches from vendors that have submitted bids for Phase I contracts under the Small Business Technology Transfer Program.
Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner, said the pitch day will mark the service’s first event aimed at transitioning quantum technology to operational utility, National Defense reported.
“Whether it ends up being quantum communication or quantum sensing or quantum computing — or hopefully a combination of all three — that make it to the goal line first, this is about creating an accelerant so that our military gets that advantage,†Roper said Tuesday at a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies-hosted online event.
