The University of Maryland (UMD) will serve as the lead academic partner for the 2026 Quantum World Congress as the event moves to College Park, Md., organizers announced on Aug. 3.
The conference will take place Sept. 23-25 at The Hotel at the University of Maryland. It will bring together leaders from government, industry, academia, finance, national security, workforce development, and economic development.
As the lead academic partner, UMD will help shape the event’s academic and research programming, connect attendees with Maryland’s quantum ecosystem, and highlight how universities can turn quantum research into economic growth and public-sector applications, according to the university’s press release.
“Quantum World Congress was created to connect the people and institutions moving quantum from promise to practice,” said George Thomas, CEO of Connected DMV. “There is no better place to host that conversation in 2026 than College Park, and no better academic partner than the University of Maryland.”
UMD has more than 350 researchers working in quantum computing, cryptography, materials, networking, sensing, and related fields.
Its quantum programs include the Joint Quantum Institute, the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science, the Quantum Startup Foundry, and the National Quantum Laboratory at Maryland.
At the 2025 Quantum World Congress, UMD President Darryll J. Pines delivered a keynote on converting quantum research into applications across computing, networking, national security, life sciences, and workforce development.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore also appeared at last year’s conference to announce details of Microsoft’s planned quantum research center in the greater College Park area. As MeriTalkSLG reported, the lab will give partners early access to Microsoft quantum technology and support collaborative hardware and software development.
The Microsoft project is part of Maryland’s broader quantum expansion, which includes Moore’s $1 billion Capital of Quantum initiative and the Capital Quantum Benchmarking Hub, which was established by the state and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency at UMD.
“We have spent decades advancing the science that is now driving one of the world’s most dynamic quantum ecosystems,” Pines said in the Aug. 3 press release. “There is no better place to host the Quantum World Congress than College Park: we aren’t just discussing the future of quantum innovation here, we are actively constructing it.”
The 2026 program will feature keynotes, panels, policy discussions, technology demonstrations, startup engagement, and partnership-building activities. Registration is open.
