News & Events

We just launched a new Discovery District Maryland website. We are thrilled to have a new online homebase, where you can learn about the developments underway at Discovery District; the opportunities for housing and research space; and the retail, dining, and recreation that will bring so much life to the area. The site will continue to evolve as Discovery District does, with information about the businesses and organizations that will call Discovery District home, as well as job opportunities, events, and much more.

The Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) released the 2025 Annual Report, highlighting our progress, impact, and continued commitment to delivering engagement advantage to the Nation’s defense and intelligence operations. ARLIS expanded its impact across a wide range of research areas critical to national security, from strengthening the resilience of supply chains and securing the digital ecosystem to enhancing human performance and advancing trustworthy applications of artificial intelligence. A highlight of the year was the creation of the Maryland Institute for Quantum Applications (MIQA), which has quickly become a national leader in mission-informed quantum science. The establishment of the Capital Quantum Benchmarking Hub, in partnership with DARPA and the State of Maryland, underscores our leadership role in this strategic domain and demonstrates ARLIS’s ability to unite government, academia, and industry around shared mission priorities.

Just over a year ago, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore launched the Capital of Quantum Initiative in the University of Maryland’s Discovery District; on Tuesday, hundreds of leaders from universities, tech firms and government agencies gathered there to take stock of how UMD’s leadership in quantum science and artificial intelligence can boost the state’s economy and bolster the nation’s welfare and security. The meeting was the second day of a UMD-sponsored conference presented by the Council on Competitiveness, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to U.S. success in the global economy.

Prince George’s County continues to strengthen its entrepreneurial infrastructure, as leaders and partners gathered to celebrate the official ribbon-cutting of Venture X College Park. PGCEDC President & CEO Ingrid S. Watson joined stakeholders, partners, and members of the business community to mark the opening of the flexible workspace—reinforcing the County’s commitment to supporting business growth, innovation, and long-term economic development.

The Maryland Institute for Quantum Applications (MIQA) at the University of Maryland’s Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) has launched a new research initiative under the SEQCURE program, sponsored by the Secretary of the Air Force’s Concepts, Development, and Management Office, to apply Zero Trust Architecture principles to quantum systems. Working with its industry partners, ARLIS researchers are evaluating the security posture of different environments, providing recommendations to align emerging quantum technologies with national security standards. The six key areas that define the design and use of these advanced systems are cloud, hardware, software, facility, data, and users.

The Maryland Institute for Quantum Applications (MIQA) at the University of Maryland’s Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) received a new contract worth up to $34.8 million over 4.5 years to support the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI), aimed at accelerating the development of industrially useful quantum computers. The award will strengthen national efforts to evaluate the feasibility, risks, and potential applications of quantum computing. 

The University of Maryland (UMD) is solidifying its position as a global leader in quantum science and technology through two recent major developments: the launch of the $1 billion “Capital of Quantum” initiative and the establishment of the Capital Quantum Benchmarking Hub to be located at the university’s Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS).

The “Capital of Quantum” initiative was introduced during an event held at IonQ, a company that sprang from discoveries made in UMD labs and is headquartered in the university’s Discovery District, home to a growing business ecosystem of smaller quantum startups.

Quantum technology is making a leap from the lab to the real world - and the state of Maryland is at the epicenter of that shift. There, an emerging ecosystem of talent and innovation is working to turn the technology’s extraordinary potential into real-world impact, backed by $1 billion in combined investment over the next five years.

Lynn Basa, David Franklin, and Aaron Whelton are a few of the artists whose proposed creative installations were selected by the Purple Line Art-In-Transit Program. These three artists will specifically have their installations located within the Discovery District at either the College Park-UMD Station or the Riverdale Park North-UMD Station.

The University of Maryland received a new contract with a $500 million ceiling from the Department of Defense to support the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) and its mission of tackling complex national security problems using a multidisciplinary approach. It is the largest research contract in UMD’s history.