Insider Brief
- The U.S. National Science Foundation will invest up to $100 million to establish the NSF National Quantum and Nanotechnology Infrastructure (NQNI), a nationwide network of up to 16 open-access research facilities over five years.
- The program will provide students, researchers, community colleges, small businesses and industry with shared access to advanced fabrication, characterization tools and technical expertise to support regional innovation ecosystems.
- The initiative builds on nearly 50 years of NSF nanotechnology infrastructure investment, with Letters of Intent due March 16, 2026, and aims to strengthen U.S. leadership in quantum, semiconductor and other emerging technologies.
PRESS RELEASE — The U.S. National Science Foundation is investing up to $100 million to establish a nationwide network of open-access research facilities for quantum and nanoscale technologies, innovation, and workforce training.
Through the new NSF National Quantum and Nanotechnology Infrastructure (NSF NQNI) program, NSF will support up to 16 sites over five years, providing students, researchers, and industry with access to state-of-the-art fabrication and characterization tools, instrumentation, and expertise. Together, the sites will form a shared national resource serving regional innovation ecosystems, including community colleges and small businesses.
NSF NQNI will accelerate U.S. leadership in quantum information science and engineering, nanotechnology, semiconductors, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, and other emerging technologies.
“This NSF investment in research facilities will power U.S. discovery in quantum and nanotechnologies to fuel our economy,” said Don Millard, head of Engineering at NSF. “With facilities open to students, faculty and small businesses, NQNI will enable transformative ideas to be explored, scaled, and translated.”
NSF has invested in nanotechnology infrastructure for nearly 50 years, most recently through the NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (2015–2025).
Letters of Intent are required and due March 16, 2026. For more information, contact NQNI@nsf.gov.
Learn more about this funding opportunity.
