Florida Atlantic University Funds Quantum Cybersecurity Workforce
Key Takeaways
Regional node: A $200,000 NIST RAMPS award will fund quantum cybersecurity training across Palm Beach County, Broward County, and the Treasure Coast.
System access: Participants will use a planned on-campus D-Wave Advantage2 annealing system and FPL power-system labs.
Scale context: EPB, the NSF challenge institutes, Q-12, QED-C, and European, UK, Canadian, and Australian programs set the wider benchmark.
The Florida Atlantic University NIST grant is a $200,000 (€177,500) cooperative agreement from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, announced October 6, 2026, to build quantum cybersecurity career pathways in Palm Beach County, Broward County, and the Treasure Coast counties of Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River. The award is one of nine Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate grants in eight states and is administered by NICE, the NIST cybersecurity education program. The useful assets are a planned D-Wave Advantage2 system and the FPL energy lab, not the award size. The euro figure uses the October 6, 2026 ECB euro reference rate of 1.1269.
Regional Training and System Access
The College of Engineering and Computer Science will lead Building the Quantum Cybersecurity Workforce in the Palm Beach and Treasure Coast Region. Yufei Tang, associate professor and director of the FPL Center for Intelligent Energy Technologies, is principal investigator. Hari Kalva and Zebo Yang are co-principal investigators. Partners are D-Wave Quantum, the InfraGard South Florida Members Alliance, the School District of Palm Beach County, Broward County Public Schools, and the Alexander D. Henderson University School.
The work plan covers a Quantum Cybersecurity Workshop Series, reusable curriculum, case studies, and online modules aligned with the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity and CyberSeek. Mentoring, internships, and employer engagement sit alongside a regional consortium of universities, K-12 schools, industry, government, utilities, and community groups. FAU says it will be the first university in Florida to publicly host a dedicated D-Wave Advantage2 annealing system with more than 4,400 qubits. The InETech center adds hardware-in-the-loop training on power and energy systems. RAMPS awards under the 2026 notice run no more than two years.
FAU Project
| Grant item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Award | $200,000 NIST RAMPS cooperative agreement |
| Region | Palm Beach, Broward, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River |
| System | D-Wave Advantage2, 4,400+ annealing qubits |
| Lab | FPL InETech hardware-in-the-loop power systems |
| Partners | D-Wave, InfraGard South Florida, Palm Beach and Broward schools, Henderson University School |
| Term | No more than two years under the 2026 RAMPS notice |
National and International Workforce Benchmarks
The September 18, 2026 RAMPS round, including the Florida Atlantic University NIST grant, totals more than $1.7 million and brings the program to 55 communities in 26 states. NIST does not describe the other eight awards as quantum projects. Recipients include Wright State University, the Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education, the University of Michigan, the University of Houston, the University of Tennessee, the National Association of State Energy Officials, New Mexico Highlands University, and Kentucky Community and Technical College.
Closer U.S. quantum-workforce comparables sit outside this RAMPS class. EPB in Chattanooga received a $4 million NIST grant in 2024 and in February 2026 launched an eight-person Quantum Computing Fellowship with IonQ. On August 25, 2026 the National Science Foundation assigned more than $290 million across eight Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes at 36 institutions in 19 states, with education and workforce duties built into the institutes. The National Q-12 Education Partnership, led by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and NSF, covers K-12 quantum learning under the National Quantum Initiative. The Quantum Economic Development Consortium, managed by SRI with NIST, runs a workforce technical group for industry.
U.S. Programs
| U.S. Program | Focus |
|---|---|
| 2026 RAMPS round | More than $1.7 million; 55 communities in 26 states. Other eight awards are not described as quantum projects. |
| Other 2026 recipients | Wright State University; Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education; University of Michigan; University of Houston; University of Tennessee; National Association of State Energy Officials; New Mexico Highlands University; Kentucky Community and Technical College |
| EPB, Chattanooga | $4 million NIST grant in 2024. Eight-person Quantum Computing Fellowship with IonQ, launched February 2026. |
| NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes | More than $290 million on August 25, 2026. Eight institutes, 36 institutions, 19 states, with education and workforce duties. |
| National Q-12 Education Partnership | OSTP and NSF. K-12 quantum learning under the National Quantum Initiative. |
| QED-C | Managed by SRI with NIST. Industry workforce technical group. |
Abroad, the European Commission launched the European Quantum Academy on June 30, 2026, with a reported €19.8 million budget, more than 70 partners, and targets of 600 advanced professionals and 5,000 learners. The academy consolidates QTEdu, DigiQ, QTIndu, and QUCATS under the Quantum Flagship education track. The UK National Quantum Technologies Programme, running since 2014, includes skills training, and UKRI closed a Centre for Quantum Commercialisation Skills competition in July 2026 with an award range up to £11.3 million. Canada’s National Quantum Strategy uses a talent pillar with NSERC CREATE grants and Mitacs placements. Australia’s National Quantum Strategy lists a skilled workforce as Theme 3, with PhD scholarships and a workforce-needs report.
International Programs
| Foreign Program | Focus |
|---|---|
| European Quantum Academy | Launched June 30, 2026. Reported €19.8 million, more than 70 partners, targets of 600 advanced professionals and 5,000 learners. Consolidates QTEdu, DigiQ, QTIndu, and QUCATS. |
| UK National Quantum Technologies Programme | Running since 2014. Includes skills training inside the national program. |
| UKRI Centre for Quantum Commercialisation Skills | Competition closed July 2026. Award range up to £11.3 million. Not a confirmed award. |
| Canada National Quantum Strategy | Talent pillar with NSERC CREATE grants and Mitacs placements. |
| Australia National Quantum Strategy | Theme 3, skilled workforce. PhD scholarships and a workforce-needs report. |
Bottom Line
The FAU grant is a NICE-aligned South Florida training node whose weight comes from the D-Wave system and the utility lab.
Find out more here.
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Further articles, reports, and the latest quantum computing news may be found at The Qubit Report.
- Chattanooga, D-Wave Quantum, European Quantum Academy, Florida Atlantic University (FAU), National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Science Foundation (NSF), Palm Beach County, Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate (RAMPS)
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