Cleveland Clinic expands quantum program

Cleveland Clinic announced last week that it is opening applications for a new round of its Quantum Innovation Catalyzer Program, an effort designed to bring start-ups and early-stage companies into its growing orbit of biomedical research powered by quantum computers. The program, first launched in 2023, gives selected firms access to IBM’s Quantum System One — the world’s first quantum computer dedicated to health care research.

A larger, longer bet

The latest round is more ambitious. Instead of a six-month pilot, this year’s cohort will run for a full year. Up to four companies will be chosen to work on Cleveland Clinic’s main campus, drawing on mentorship, laboratory resources, and specialized business training. For the first time, participants will also be eligible for up to $250,000 in investment from the K5 Tokyo Black Fund, with Cleveland Clinic providing a matching contribution.

Applications are due October 31, with finalists named in December and the program set to begin in March. The new approach reflects a growing recognition that quantum research, once the province of theoretical physicists, is inching closer to practical applications.

Past participants have already demonstrated what that shift can look like. The Finnish company Algorithmiq, for example, advanced to the final round of the Wellcome Leap Quantum for Bio Challenge, a global competition aimed at harnessing quantum tools for life-sciences research. Another firm, the Ohio-based Qradle, has used quantum systems to model protein folding, reporting accuracy that surpassed results from widely celebrated artificial-intelligence systems such as AlphaFold 3.

The program is part of the Discovery Accelerator, Cleveland Clinic’s 10-year partnership with IBM, and a cornerstone of the Clinic’s broader Innovation District strategy, which aims to anchor new industries in Northeast Ohio.

The broader push

Cleveland Clinic is hardly alone in seeing opportunity here. Around the world, governments and research institutions are racing to build quantum capacity. The European Union has committed €1 billion over 10 years through its Quantum Flagship program. Britain has funneled hundreds of millions into its National Quantum Technologies Programme, aimed at commercialization. In the United States, Congress passed the National Quantum Initiative Act in 2018, which laid the groundwork for federal labs, universities, and private companies to expand research and workforce development.

Researchers hope that quantum computers will accelerate drug discovery, improve biomarker identification, and enable highly personalized therapies. A growing number of academic papers now chart proof-of-concept projects ranging from clinical decision support to large-scale genomic analysis.

The health care workforce — already stretched thin — lacks widespread quantum literacy. Some experts warn that without deliberate training pipelines, the field’s advance into medicine could falter.