Alec Simantov
Alec is a Director in the McAllister & Quinn Research Universities Practice. Alec leverages his expertise on the federal budget and Congress to provide strategic intelligence and oversight on legislative and policy developments, focusing on R&D, science, and higher education policy.
Jamie Burns
Jamie Burns is a Managing Director in McAllister & Quinn’s Research Universities Practice and leads the development and delivery of strategic intelligence (SI) across the practice. She is responsible for shaping SI methodologies, guiding analytics approaches, and ensuring the firm’s university clients receive tailored intelligence that supports institutional strategy, competitiveness, and research growth.
Quantum and AI Technologies Take Center Stage
The White House’s AI and Quantum strategy is no longer theoretical; it is now reshaping the federal research funding landscape in real time. Over the past several months, agencies have begun rolling out new funding initiatives and notices with artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technologies at the center of the administration’s science and innovation agenda, often with shorter turnaround times and increased competition.
New AI and Quantum Federal Funding Opportunities Emerging
Additional RFIs released in recent weeks will drive further opportunities for research universities in the coming months. For example:
How Federal Investments in AI & Quantum are Changing
While many of these new funding opportunities are emerging quickly, they are the result of deliberate policy direction and planning that began early in the current administration. Shortly after taking office, President Trump repealed Biden-era AI executive orders, directing federal agencies to reset their approach to AI and other critical technology areas.
Quantum and AI Funding Support from Congress Likely
Congress is currently in the process of writing and approving its funding bills for FY27. Committees in both chambers have held public hearings on the budget request, and the House Appropriations Committee has already approved funding bills for many science and R&D agencies.
Congress is expected to continue its support of AI and Quantum funding at levels exceeding the administration’s request, including money for community-project funding (earmarks) for AI and Quantum related projects. However, with the midterm elections in November, Congress is not expected to finalize FY27 funding until the end of the calendar year.
How Lawmakers are Expanding Innovation and Research Opportunities
Congress is also advancing reauthorization legislation for the National Quantum Initiative (NQI), originally enacted in 2018 during the first Trump administration. The reauthorized bill has already been approved at the committee level in the House and Senate. The proposed legislation would extend the authorization of the NQI through December 2034 and reauthorize R&D programs at NIST, NSF, and NASA, including 3 new NIST quantum centers and 5 new NSF Multidisciplinary Centers for Quantum Research and Education.
Lawmakers are also moving forward with comprehensive AI legislation. In April, House members introduced a bipartisan bill, the American Leadership in AI Act (H.R. 8516), combining 20 previous AI related bills and recommendations made by the Bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Task Force. The bill would codify the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resources (NAIRR) at NSF and establish new prize competitions, establish an AI Workforce Research Hub at the Department of Labor, launch grant programs at HHS for research on generative AI use in healthcare, direct NSF and USDA to collaborate on shared research priorities, and task DOE with a cross-cutting AI research program for climate modeling, fusion energy, materials discovery and AI foundations.
How McAllister & Quinn Can Help Position You for Opportunities
McAllister and Quinn’s strategic intelligence team tracks federal budget and appropriations developments, legislative action and agency activity, and emerging priorities like AI and Quantum. We help position your research enterprise and teams to anticipate and compete for funding opportunities. Contact us below to request more information about our research development, government relations, and strategic intelligence services.
Interested in Consulting With Us?
If you are interested in consulting with McAllister & Quinn as a quantum expert, please submit your application on our website, Current Opening – Grants Consultant Network | McAllister & Quinn.
