NSF National Quantum and Nanotechnology Infrastructure

NSF National Quantum and Nanotechnology Infrastructure

Below is a summary assembled by the Research & Innovation Office (RIO). Please see the full solicitation for complete information about the funding opportunity. Note the "Strategic Proposal" section below.

Strategic Proposal

RIO has designated this funding opportunity as a Strategic Proposal, based on its potential for significant institutional impact. RIO’s research development team (RIO-RD) partners with PIs to provide enhanced support, coordination, and/or resources for strategic proposal efforts.

PIs selected for this limited submission opportunity will be contacted by RIO-RD to develop a proposal management plan that includes a timeline, team assignments, review(s) schedule, and submission process, and to organize a proposal kickoff meeting with all participants.

For questions regarding Strategic Proposals, please contact Mike Mitchell.

Program Summary

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) National Quantum and Nanotechnology Infrastructure (NQNI) program will empower researchers nationwide to advance critical and emerging technologies. Through NQNI, NSF will establish an open-access network of research facilities to spur innovations in future quantum technologies, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, manufacturing, biotechnology, and other areas of national priority.

The NQNI solicitation establishes a competition for a network of university user facility Sites. The selection of user facility Sites will be based on their technical capabilities and instrumentation (specifically, fabrication, characterization, and expertise) to address current and anticipated user needs across quantum information science and engineering (QISE), nanoscience, nanoengineering, and nanotechnology. Site selection will also be based on plans to open facilities and instrumentation for external use, education, training, outreach, and workforce development.

In a later stage, NSF will select an NQNI Coordinating Office from among the Sites; the Coordinating Office will enhance and coordinate NQNI collective impacts that serve the Nation's quantum and nanotechnology innovators.

NQNI awards will primarily support personnel to run activities to recruit and train new external users to access tools and expertise at Sites. While access to computational resources and remote use of tools can be incorporated, Sites should prioritize hands-on experiences for external users. Additionally, education, training, workforce development, and outreach efforts are expected. Funds may be used for activities related to the creation of educational materials, student researchers, postdoc training exchanges, and such.

Proposals should advance one or more of the following measures of success:

• Publications from research
• Data sets established or expanded
• New technologies or techniques established
• Undergraduate and graduate students trained in a specific critical area
• Research facility usage

Funding from this program may not be used for construction, acquisition, maintenance, or repair of physical infrastructure.

Deadlines

• CU Internal Deadline: 11:59pm MT March 2, 2026
• Sponsor Letter of Intent Deadline: 5:00pm MT March 16, 2026
• Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: 5:00pm MT May 14, 2026

Internal Application Requirements (all in PDF format)

• Letter of Intent (1 page maximum): Provide the proposed vision, key components, main activities, and major goals of the proposed activity. Include an “Other Comments” section (maximum 2500 characters) with a list of Senior/Key Personnel (Principal Investigator, co-PI(s), and Faculty Associate(s) or equivalent), including funded and unfunded collaborators, and providing names, affiliations, and area(s) of expertise for all personnel.
• Proposal Summary (1 page maximum): Provide: 1) a high-level statement of intellectual merit & broader impacts of the activities; 2) capabilities of the site (instrumentation, user access, resources); 3) highlights of education, training, workforce development, outreach; 4) key partnerships and social/ethical considerations; 5) leadership & management plan (structure, oversight, evaluation); and 6) details on the role of the External Advisory Board (from outside CU Boulder; no names should be listed).
• PI Curriculum Vitae
• Budget Overview (1 page maximum): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.

To access the online application, visit: https://cuboulderovcr.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/7154/home

Eligibility

There are no special eligibility requirements.

Limited Submission Guidelines

CU Boulder is limited to one submission.

Award Information

• Award Size: $500,000 – $2,000,000 per year
• Anticipated Number of Awards: 8 – 16
• Award Duration: 5 years (with potential 5-year renewal)

Review Criteria

In addition to intellectual merit and broader impacts, reviewers will be asked to place emphasis on the following additional criteria for individual Site proposals:

1. Quality of programs for outreach, knowledge dissemination, educational, research, and workforce development experiences, including expanding the breadth of the workforce.
2. Strength of internal research programs and faculty, and site management structure, plans, and ability to ensure high-quality external user services.
3. Breadth and impact of regional coverage, integration of partnership structure, and sufficient budget for funded partners to serve a large external user community.
4. If applicable, quality of plans for inclusion of social, ethical, economic, and environmental aspects of quantum information and nanotechnologies and/or computational and modeling/simulation capabilities.