On November 13, 2025, the Ohio Federal Research Network (OFRN) hosted its latest Virtual Opportunity Day, bringing together more than 70 attendees from Ohio’s academic, industry, and government innovation ecosystem. The event—focused on Quantum—featured leading experts from The Ohio State University and Miami University, as well as an overview of active R&D funding opportunities relevant to quantum science and technology.
OFRN Opportunity Days are delivered by Parallax Advanced Research, in collaboration with The Ohio State University and the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and are designed to spark new collaborations, inform stakeholders of emerging research areas, and strengthen Ohio’s competitive position in securing federal R&D funding.
Agenda
| 9:00 – 9:15 | OFRN Overview by Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Mark Bartman, USAF, Executive Director – Ohio Federal Research Network, Parallax Advanced Research |
| 9:15 – 9:35 | Quantum Information Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University by Dr. Ronald Reano, Co-Director of The Ohio State University Center for Quantum Information Science and Engineering and Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Ohio State University, Columbus (15 min brief + 5 min Q&A) |
| 9:35 – 9:55 | Disruptive Talent: Engineering the Quantum Workforce Because Ohio’s workforce isn’t following the future—it’s driving it by Dr. Gregory Crawford, President at Miami University (15 min brief + 5 min Q&A) |
| 9:55 – 10:10 | Opportunity Review by Morgan Buck, OFRN intern, Parallax Advanced Research |
| 10:10 - 10:15 | Wrap-up |
OFRN Overview
The event opened with remarks from Maj Gen (Ret.) Mark Bartman, USAF, Executive Director of the Ohio Federal Research Network at Parallax Advanced Research. He provided an overview of OFRN’s mission, impact, and collaborative model, highlighting the program’s role in enabling industry and academia to pursue new R&D opportunities that strengthen Ohio’s federal research base and drive statewide innovation.
Download the PowerPoint here: https://ohiofrn.org/sites/ofrn/files/2025-11/OFRN%20Opportunity%20Day%202025-11-13%20OFRN%20intro.pdf
Quantum Thought Leader Presentations
Quantum Information Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University
Dr. Ronald Reano, Co-Director of The Ohio State University Center for Quantum Information Science and Engineering and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, presented an overview of Ohio State’s rapidly expanding quantum research and education ecosystem.
His presentation detailed advances in integrated photonics, silicon photonics, and the emerging Quantum Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. Dr. Reano also highlighted quantum networking applications and discussed pathways for industry partners seeking to join The Ohio State's industry–university consortium.
Download the PowerPoint Deck here: https://ohiofrn.org/sites/ofrn/files/2025-11/OFRN%20Opportunity%20Day%202025-11-13%20Reano%20presentation.pdf
Disruptive Talent: Engineering the Quantum Workforce
Dr. Gregory Crawford, President of Miami University, emphasized the essential role of quantum workforce development in advancing the state’s competitiveness.
He shared Miami University’s increasing momentum in quantum-related programming and the institution’s strategy for preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers. Participants expressed strong interest in Miami’s workforce initiatives, with several post-event survey responses noting the value of Dr. Crawford’s insights.
Download the PowerPoint here: https://ohiofrn.org/sites/ofrn/files/2025-11/OFRN%20Opportunity%20Day%202025-11-13%20Crawford%20presentation-compressed.pdf
Opportunity Review
Morgan Buck, OFRN intern at Parallax Advanced Research supporting OFRN, provided a summary of current federal research funding opportunities relevant to quantum science, thermal transport, nuclear interrogation, mission systems management, physics research, and national testbed development. Opportunities included:
- NSF 24-586 — National Quantum Virtual Laboratory: Quantum Testbeds
- DARPA-SS-26-02 — Active Nuclear Interrogation with Ghost Imaging (RFI)
- N00421-26-RFPREQ-TPM209-0126 — AN-ARC-210(V)/Mission Systems Management Activity
- PD-23-1406 — Thermal Transport Processes
- NSF 23-615 — Physics Investigator-Initiated Research Projects
- W911NF21S0009 — LPS Qubit Collaboratory
- DARPA-SN-26-01 — Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) 2026
- FA875023S7001 — Quantum Information Sciences
These opportunities are designed to stimulate new collaborations across Ohio and position teams for competitive proposal development.
Download the PowerPoint here: https://ohiofrn.org/sites/ofrn/files/2025-11/OFRN%20Opportunity%20Day%202025-11-13%20Opportunities%20Presented.pdf
Event Metrics
- Registered: 121
- Attended: 71 (not including panelists)
- Attendance Rate: 59%
- Survey Responses: 16
- Average scores:
- Event value: 9/10
- Likelihood to recommend: 9/10
- Selected attendee comments:
- “Very great and informative session. Real opportunities were shared to provide small business and expert traction for work and earnings. Great job!”
- “Loved the Miami presentation.”
- “Very useful information regarding Miami U growth in Quantum.”
- “Informative session. Well done by all.”
- “Seemed to be almost a marketing briefing for OSU and Miami.”
Upcoming Events
- 2nd Annual Ohio AI Summit – OhioX | November 19, 2025 • Columbus, OH
- Quantum Computing Opportunities for Ohio – OhioX | December 4, 2025 • Virtual
- Next Generation Missiles and Hypersonics Summit | December 9–10, 2025 • Reston, VA
- Spacepower Conference | December 10–12, 2025 • Orlando, FL
Join us for our next quarterly opportunity day. Subscribe to our newsletter for the next announcement, here: https://ohiofrn.org.
