Here’s what we’ll be tuning into at DC’s first Quantum World Congress

Next week, DC is all set to host quantum computing companies and leaders from all over the world at the first-ever Quantum World Congress.

The three-day event, according to host Connected DMV, is designed to make the area a go-to spot for quantum companies and development. Destination DC, the University of Maryland, the Quantum Industry Coalition, George Mason University, Howard University, the Mid-Atlantic Quantum Alliance, the MITRE Corporation and the National Quantum Literacy Network are all partners in the event.

“We imagine this as an annual event of a very high-level set of players: people who invest, people who regulate and establish policy, people who are inventing stuff and the people who will end up buying it,” Connected DMV’s CIO George Thomas told Technical.ly earlier this year. “The innovators who are in the companies that are building products towards this and, of course, workflows, education, academia and research that will fuel all of the above.”

Consider just some of the sessions we think are worthy of your time at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center next week:

Tuesday, Nov. 29

• Quantum: From Foundation to Future Bootcamp (9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.): This session from Womanium covers the potential impact of quantum on key industries and society.
• Practical Quantum Computing (1:00-4:00 p.m.): The University of Maryland offers a session on quantum ecosystems.
• Quantum Startup Pitch Competition (1:00-5:00 p.m.): Quantum founders will compete to win $25,000 for their startup.

Wednesday, Nov. 30

• The State of Quantum Through the National Security Lens (10:15-10:45 a.m.): Gil Herrera, director of research for the National Security Agency, gives a session on quantum and security.
• Australia: Quantum’s Early Bird (10:45-11:15 a.m.): Cathy Foley, chief scientist of Australia, gives a session on the country’s quantum work and what the US can learn.

Thursday, Dec. 1

• Quantum Innovation, Ecosystems and Collaboration (9:15-10:00 a.m.): The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Laurie Locascio; QED-C’s Celia Merzbacher; Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Lene Oddershede and National Research Council of Canada’s Geneviève Tanguay give a session on building a quantum scene.
• National Quantum Initiative: Driving Commercialization (10:00-10:20 a.m.): IonQ’s Chris Monroe speaks on commercializing quantum technology.

Register here