AI-enabled chatbots, driverless cars, and deepfake videos may be among the better-known applications of quantum computing. But they are far from the whole picture.
Quantum plays a role in a multitude of other applications, ranging from the quantum cryptography used to enhance cybersecurity, to the molecular simulations driving the development of new and better batteries and solar cells. The acceleration of drug and advanced materials discovery, more accurate weather forecasts, and improved financial modeling are a few of the other advances powered by the complex computational capabilities of quantum technology.
As home to six quantum-related start-ups, UConn’s Technology Incubation Program (TIP) is a microcosm of this technological diversity. Access Quantum, for example, uses quantum principles to develop alloys and materials with more desirable properties, particularly those used in the aerospace industry where extreme environments demand new and better fatigue-resistant materials.
Other TIP start-ups include Plasmonic Reactor Systems, a company disrupting the nuclear power industry with a pioneering technology for small and micro nuclear reactors capable of delivering nuclear power without the nuclear risk. Another, called We-Sensing, focuses on the development of next-generation AI and quantum-powered monitoring sensors that provide real-time insights that improve resource efficiency, reduce operational costs, and support sustainable management of water, soil, and industrial systems.
Then there is QuaSIM, a startup developing breakthrough classical and quantum algorithms that drastically accelerate the simulation of granular and molecular-scale materials offering dramatically improved insight into complex biological and pharmaceutical systems.
The beauty of TIP is that it brings UConn quantum researchers from a multitude of disciplines together under one roof in a way that helps them commoditize their work and bring it to market, says Sanjeev Nayak. He is the program specialist in quantum technologies with the UConn’s Office of Vice President for Research (OVPR) and a research scientist with UConn’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and founder of Access Quantum LLC.
Nayak says TIP startups have access to expertise and funding through OVPR’s Technology Commercialization Services (TCS). In addition to grant support, TCS helps startups predict the viability of a proposed research application, navigate the licensing process, and connect with industry and investors. TIP’s team of in-house advisory experts, or Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR), have extensive experience in their respective industries and provide the insight and support early-stage start-ups need to navigate market competition.
“TCS is very strategically positioned in the university ecosystem,” says Nayak, who also leads UConn Quantum Alliance, a collaborative platform of more than 80 UConn faculty active in quantum sciences and engineering across campuses, including UConn Health. “We are talking about a horizontal research connection. When people can come together to share expertise under on one roof, in one facility, and get together to brainstorm ideas, conceptualize applications, apply for grants, this is advantageous to UConn’s research enterprise broadly.”
Nayak credits the sustained and measurable growth of TCS to the leadership of Abhijit Banerjee, UConn’s Associate Vice President for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Under Banerjee, there has been a consistent increase in the number of faculty-led startups, a reflection of the strengthened institutional support for innovation and expanding culture of entrepreneurial activity across the university. Banerjee also sits on the leadership board of QuantumCT, an innovation-driven non-profit organization funded by UConn, Yale, and the state of Connecticut that supports expanded research and industry engagement in quantum technology applications.
In addition to the School of Engineering, TIP’s quantum-related startups – which also include QueHOT and AlgorithmicPro AI – are led by researchers from UConn’s physics, chemistry and pharmacy departments, School of Business, and UConn Health.
QueHOT is developing a hybrid quantum processor that uses pulses of light and advanced photonic architectures to achieve scalable, high-speed quantum information processing. The company is also developing new quantum gate technologies that can be applied to malware detection and other hybrid architectures using an innovative approach that enables energy-efficient, room-temperature quantum operations paving the way for breakthroughs in quantum communications, secure computing, and precision sensing.
AlgorithmicPro AI is working to develop low-cost, high-speed data-linking solutions to assist AI-driven, novel computational techniques to solve large-scale information integration challenges for businesses and government.
Quantum research at UConn stretches back decades, but about two years ago the University reorganized its approach to quantum as part of a $1 million National Science Foundation (NSF) Phase I Engine grant. More recently, as part of its application for a Phase II NSF Engine grant, UConn formally recognized this interdisciplinary consortium as the Quantum Alliance.
The innovation driven by these quantum startups goes well beyond computing. It is driving the creation of a multi-industry commercial force, Nayak says. It is also powering UConn’s transition from a research leader into a national player in quantum entrepreneurship, with infrastructure, partnerships, and startup activity to support that role.
UConn, in partnership with Yale University and QuantumCT, is one of 15 finalists under consideration for the funding, which would bring up to $160 million in research funding to the state over the next ten years.
NSF is scheduled to conduct a site visit in December. The winning proposals are expected to be announced in early 2026.
