Regional Collaboration Highlighted at 2026 Quantum World Congress
Last week, thousands of industry professionals descended upon College Park, Maryland, the Capital of Quantum, for the 2026 Quantum World Congress, to hear the latest on this fast-growing industry. During the three-day conference, attendees heard from leaders including IonQ Chairman & CEO Niccolo de Masi, and Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who spoke about Maryland’s intention to become the #1 hub for Quantum in the world. In fact, in 2025, Governor Moore’s administration announced the Capital of Quantum initiative, a $1 billion investment over the next five years aimed at strengthening Maryland’s position as a quantum technology leader.
During the conference, Governor Moore discussed why quantum is not just a “lane, it is a lens that will help the State win in all of Maryland’s lighthouse sectors, including cybersecurity, life sciences, and aerospace and defense.” The State is already an established quantum hub, and is currently home to the Discovery District, located in College Park, as well as IonQ’s headquarters.
Building the Capital of Quantum doesn’t just require Maryland’s assets like proximity to NIST and NCCoE, which are located in Montgomery County, or the highly-specialized talent that resides here (Maryland is the 2nd highest educated state in the nation). It requires cross-jurisdictional collaboration between the Greater Washington area.
During a panel at the QWC, CEOs of regional economic development corporations, including Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation President & CEO Jared Smith, Arlington Economic Development CEO & Director Anna Nissinen, Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation President & CEO Ingrid Watson, and Howard County Economic Development Authority CEO Jennifer Jones, discussed the important role regional collaboration plays in building a successful cluster.
Panelists discussed what each County can offer quantum companies that are deciding where to invest and grow and according to Smith, one of Greater Washington’s greatest advantages is that the assets are complementary rather than duplicative. For example, Montgomery County offers proximity to top research, as well as a deep technical workforce, while other jurisdictions across the region bring strengths that Montgomery County doesn’t necessarily have. It’s crucial that economic development organizations partner together to showcase the Greater D.C. Region as a whole, rather than in silos.
Maryland might be the Capital of Quantum but at the same time, the location sits at the center of the National Capital Region, so companies that locate here plug into an ecosystem that extends beyond state lines. From the Naval Research Laboratory in D.C., agencies and firms across Northern Virginia, NIST and NCCoE in Montgomery County, and the Discovery District in College Park, the Great Washington region is ensuring that companies have easy access to all that the region can offer them.
