BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT FOR Entangled Logical Qubits (ELQ) | W911NF 23 S 0004

Opportunity Information: Apply for W911NF 23 S 0004

The Department of Defense, through the U.S. Army Materiel Command, released a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) titled "Entangled Logical Qubits (ELQ)" (Funding Opportunity Number W911NF-23-S-0004) to drive foundational research that moves quantum computing closer to universal, fault-tolerant operation. The core problem the opportunity targets is that physical qubits, while capable of quantum coherence and entanglement, are extremely sensitive to noise and environmental coupling, which causes errors and destroys stored quantum information during computation. Modern quantum error correction (QEC) addresses this by combining many physical qubits into a logical qubit (LQ) that can detect and correct errors while maintaining fault tolerance. ELQ is aimed at the next major milestone beyond demonstrating individual fault-tolerant logical qubits: reliably entangling two separate, error-corrected logical qubits while keeping the entire process fault-tolerant end-to-end.

The program is structured as a four-year effort focused on producing high-fidelity entanglement between two logical qubits in a fully fault-tolerant (FT) manner and then using that entanglement to perform logical state teleportation with high success. In practical terms, the government is looking for teams that can design and experimentally demonstrate a complete operational sequence in which two independently protected logical qubits are prepared, engaged through an entangling operation, verified and benchmarked at the logical level, and then used to teleport a logical quantum state. Teleportation is highlighted because it is a clean, widely recognized way to prove that entanglement is both real and usable for computation, not just observed as a fragile physics effect. A stated performance target is ambitious but concrete: demonstrations consistent with maximally entangled logical states and teleportation success rates on the order of 95% or higher, reflecting an expectation that the work should be meaningful at the logical layer, not merely at the underlying physical-qubit layer.

A major theme running through the opportunity is preserving fault tolerance throughout the entire entanglement workflow. The DoD is not simply asking for two logical qubits to become entangled; it is asking for a scheme where error correction remains effective during the entangling operation itself, so that the procedure does not reintroduce uncontrolled error pathways that undermine the value of using logical qubits in the first place. This includes how gates are implemented, how syndrome information is measured and processed, how correlated errors are prevented or detected, and how the system is validated with appropriate benchmarking and success metrics. The announcement emphasizes that this area is still a frontier: there is limited existing theory and comparatively little experimental precedent for fully fault-tolerant entanglement between separate logical qubits, so proposals are expected to push both theory and practice forward in a coordinated way.

Another key requirement is modularity. The ELQ effort is explicitly looking for approaches where the entangled pair is constructed from two decoupled, independently operable logical qubits on the same physical platform, and where the system can be separated back into those independent modules. This is an architectural requirement meant to support scalability and robust system engineering: rather than building one monolithic error-corrected block, the program wants logical-qubit "modules" that can be brought together for entangling operations and then treated as separable units again. The program design reinforces this by sequencing the work so that logical qubits are established in earlier years before proceeding to the entangling stage later, effectively forcing teams to show that each logical qubit works on its own before claiming success with entanglement between them.

The BAA states the program is divided into four phases (with additional details in referenced tables and sections of the full announcement), and it signals strongly that proposals should cover all four phases. Submissions that only address a subset of phases may not receive full consideration, which is a common way for BAAs to encourage end-to-end program plans rather than isolated demonstrations. The types of work anticipated span multiple layers of the quantum stack: hardware development and control, software and compilation considerations, design and implementation of QEC protocols suited to logical entanglement, and rigorous benchmarking methods to quantify logical-level performance and fault-tolerance claims. Because of that breadth, the government explicitly calls out that winning teams will likely be interdisciplinary and comfortable operating at the interfaces between theory, experimental physics/engineering, control systems, and error-correction/verification.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary and allows multiple award instrument types, including cooperative agreements, grants, other transaction-like mechanisms (as applicable), and procurement contracts, giving the government flexibility in how it partners with performers. The activity category is science and technology and other research and development, consistent with the foundational nature of the goals. The listing indicates an expected number of awards of up to 100, and the award ceiling is shown as 0 in the summary data, which typically means the ceiling is not specified in that field and is instead addressed in the full BAA or negotiated per award. The opportunity was created on January 23, 2023, with an original closing date of March 21, 2023, at 4:00 PM Eastern Time, with instructions to consult the solicitation for any submission rules and details on eligibility (the eligibility line points to an additional information field in the full text).

In short, ELQ is a DoD-sponsored push to demonstrate a credible building block for scalable, universal fault-tolerant quantum computing: two independently functioning error-corrected logical qubits that can be entangled with high fidelity in a way that remains fault-tolerant throughout, and that can prove usefulness via high-success logical state teleportation. The program is not just looking for incremental improvements in qubit quality; it is looking for a system-level, modular, logically benchmarked demonstration that connects QEC theory, experimental implementation, and validation into a repeatable approach that could eventually scale to larger fault-tolerant quantum architectures.

• The Department of Defense, Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT FOR Entangled Logical Qubits (ELQ)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.431.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 23, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 21, 2023 Proposals 400 PM Eastern Time on 21 March 2023 See Section II. D. 4 for additional information.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 100 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for W911NF 23 S 0004

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: