Middle Tennessee State University and Middle Tennessee Electric solidified their partnership to advance quantum science and analysis in the area and state on Tuesday, May 19, when leaders from each entities gathered on campus to signal a memorandum of understanding additional outlining a collaboration that started greater than a yr in the past.
MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee was joined by MTE President and CEO Chris Jones for a signing ceremony contained in the Miller Education Center, additionally attended by members of MTE’s government crew in addition to MTSU’s Board of Trustees and different college representatives, together with College of Basic and Applied Sciences Dean Greg Van Patten and a few CBAS college.
Quantum is seen as a transformative expertise for a number of industries essential in Middle Tennessee, together with healthcare, cybersecurity, finance, logistics, transportation, power, supplies, and high-performance computing.
“We are in advanced discussions on resource sharing to develop a quantum testbed that would allow collaborative experiments linking our two physical locations in Murfreesboro,” McPhee stated of the partnership. “Moreover, we plan to invite other private and public entities to make use of the quantum testbed and the capabilities that we develop in order to teach and empower them. Our goal is to use this partnership to accelerate the development, adoption, and utilization of quantum technologies by companies in Middle Tennessee.”
Jones added that “quantum computing represents more than the next generation of technology — it represents the next generation of opportunity for our region.”
MTSU and MTE’s efforts come because the state of Tennessee, on the behest of Gov. Bill Lee, has allotted $43 million towards the Tennessee Quantum Initiative to place the state as a nationwide chief in advancing quantum analysis and applied sciences.
“By partnering with Middle Tennessee State University, we are helping strengthen Middle Tennessee’s position as a place where innovation, research and economic growth can thrive together,” he continued. “Investments in advanced technologies like quantum computing have the potential to create high-quality jobs, attract new industries and prepare our communities for a rapidly changing future. At Middle Tennessee Electric, we believe supporting innovation is part of serving our members and building a stronger region for generations to come.”
As the second-largest electrical cooperative in the United States, MTE serves 750,000 Tennesseans throughout 11 counties, employs over 500 individuals, covers 2,200 sq. miles of Middle Tennessee, and is actively constructing out fiber infrastructure throughout the area.
McPhee stated the MOU signing confirms the sturdy partnership between MTSU and MTE that has developed over the previous 15 months to help and develop quantum computing initiatives in the area. MTE is a founding accomplice in MTSU’s QRISE Center, which stands for Quantum Research Interdisciplinary Science and Education, and the 2 entities fashioned the Middle Tennessee Quantum Technology Hub, or MT-QuTech Hub, earlier this yr.
“Today, MTSU and MTE are actively collaborating to explore opportunities for fiber/broadband to support emerging quantum technologies, support an incubator environment for emerging quantum technologies and companies and collaborate with academia, research, political, and industry leaders to foster the emerging Quantum Valley region,” McPhee stated.
Launched final fall, QRISE is already a world-class hub for advancing quantum discovery, innovation, schooling, workforce and financial improvement. Under the steerage of Director Hanna Terletska, QRISE has already secured $9 million-plus in lively federal analysis awards, a flagship partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and a rising consortium of Middle Tennessee universities aligned round quantum science and expertise.
“Today’s MOU is a historic milestone and the next bold step in QRISE’s mission to move quantum science out of the laboratory and into the world,” Terletska stated. “When a research university and a utility sign an agreement like this, something fundamentally shifts: quantum technology gains a real grid, real infrastructure, and a real community to serve. That is what accelerates deployment. That is what turns research into reality.”
McPhee stated the partnership “is a natural way for us to make sure our high-tech capabilities provide the maximum benefit to the region. We both have missions that are focused on lifting up the region by empowering private citizens as well as companies through infrastructure and knowledge.”
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