Insider Brief
- California awarded $9.7 million to expand quantum workforce training, shared testing capabilities, regional coordination and venture support across Southern California.
- UCLA will receive about $7.6 million to lead the regional quantum network, while California State University San Marcos will receive approximately $2.1 million for education and training.
- The quantum funding is part of a $48.5 million package supporting 18 projects in quantum, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defense, shipbuilding and other sectors.
California has awarded $9.7 million to a Southern California quantum initiative designed to expand workforce training, shared testing resources and funding opportunities for emerging companies.
The quantum award is part of a broader $48.5 million package supporting 18 projects across eight economic regions and 33 counties. The latest funding round covers industries including aerospace, advanced manufacturing, shipbuilding, satellites and biotechnology, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.
UCLA will lead the quantum cluster, known as the SoCal Quantum Alliance for Development, which connects Los Angeles County, Orange County and the Southern Border region.
UCLA will receive about $7.6 million for a project called Cohere, Entangle, Excite. The project will coordinate the regional quantum sector, provide shared testing capabilities and support quantum-focused venture funding.
California State University San Marcos will receive approximately $2.1 million for the alliance’s workforce component. That project, called Initialize, is intended to make quantum education and training more accessible.
The state said the quantum cluster has also secured $30 million in co-investment, bringing the potential resources connected to the initiative to nearly $40 million. The award documents do not identify the source of the outside investment or specify which quantum technologies the shared facilities will support.
The initiative reflects a broader effort by governments and universities to prepare workers for an industry that remains largely centered on research but is beginning to require engineers, technicians, software developers and other specialists. Quantum technologies use effects found at the atomic and subatomic level to support new approaches to computing, sensing and secure communications.
California’s award places workforce development alongside testing infrastructure and early-stage business support. That approach could help address a recurring problem in the quantum industry, where specialized equipment, experienced workers and investment networks are often concentrated around a relatively small number of laboratories and companies.
The quantum cluster is the largest of seven industry groups supported in the latest funding round. Advanced manufacturing clusters in the Central San Joaquin Valley and Capital regions will receive a combined $17.75 million. Those projects include shared laboratories and prototyping facilities, manufacturing training and the expansion of a biomanufacturing facility.
The state also awarded $8.2 million to develop a Bay Area shipbuilding network centered partly on Mare Island. The package includes an applied research and technology campus, advanced technical training and regional industry coordination.
Kern County will receive $6.8 million for aerospace, defense and satellite projects, including improvements at the Mojave Air and Space Port. Another $3.95 million will support a defense innovation hub at San Diego State University, while $1.94 million will fund high-tech training and financing programs in Inland Southern California.
The awards represent the final implementation funding under the California Jobs First Regional Investment Initiative. The program began in 2021 under the name Community Economic Resilience Fund and has included regional planning, pilot programs, project development and direct investment.
California officials said the latest 18 projects are expected to support about 20,000 direct and indirect jobs, although they did not provide a job estimate specifically for the quantum cluster.
