Национальный научный фонд восстановил финансирование квантового центра Университета Колорадо

The National Science Foundation has reversed a planned funding cut for a quantum center at the University of Colorado Boulder, restoring about $1 million. The NSF notified leadership at CU Boulder’s JILA Physics Frontiers Center at the end of June that its fourth year of funding, which typically comes in during August, would be cut by 22%. This meant the typical $4.2 million annual award would decrease to $3.3 million for this academic year. The total NSF award is for $25.2 million from 2023 to 2029, with $4.2 million granted each year. Essentially all of the money goes toward paying people, co-director of the Physics Frontier Center Andreas Becker said. The center has about five postdoctoral researchers, 12 to 15 graduate students and about 20 undergraduate students. “The cut of $1 million is equivalent to the annual funding of about 10 students,” Becker said. “I don’t know if and how that would’ve really happened since we were still in the process of adapting.” The NSF has since informed CU Boulder that it will provide the full amount of funding for the grant’s upcoming fourth year, with the money expected to come in this month. “That was a very big relief, actually,” Becker said. “We were trying to work through this already and how we could adjust and mitigate the impact on the research and the students.” The JILA Physics Frontier Center, sponsored by the NSF, is more than 20 years old and focuses on quantum research. It’s part of JILA, founded in 1962, which is a joint institute of CU Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. JILA’s scientists explore scientific questions about quantum measurements and technologies, the design of precision optical and X-ray lasers, the fundamental principles underlying the interaction of light and matter and the role of quantum physics in chemistry and biology. The center allows researchers to collaborate with other scientists to take on risky and challenging problems that need more time, such as five- or 10-year investigations rather than one- or two-year projects. “We call (the center) the spinal cord or the backbone of JILA because it really encourages interactions and collaboration, which is the spirit of our institute,” Becker said. U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Lafayette, and his office contacted the NSF in early July to oppose the proposed cuts and urge the agency to fund the center fully. “Colorado’s research institutes and laboratories are central to the fabric of our state and our nation, and I’m proud to see the NSF heed our calls and follow through on their commitment to provide critical funding for CU Boulder’s barrier-breaking JILA Physics Frontiers Center,” Neguse said in a release. “The hardworking scientists, researchers, and students at this institution have made groundbreaking advances in quantum that drive not only our state’s economy, but also America’s standing on the global stage.” Becker said everyone at the center is happy to see that the congressional delegation became involved. “That is very encouraging for us, knowing there is a lot of uncertainty at the moment in research funding over the last few years,” Becker said. “To see politicians stepping up for research and showing how much this is of interest for our state and also for the nation means a lot.” Subscribe to our new newsletter to get CU Boulder’s latest news sent straight to your inbox.