Project Submission Deadline: August 7, 2026
The industry challenge portion of the WISER Quantum + AI Optimization Program is now open.
Participants will work in teams on real-world challenges developed with WISER and industry partners. Each challenge invites participants to explore how classical optimization, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, or hybrid approaches can be used to address complex problems across multiple industries.
Participation in the project phase is free, including for new participants who did not attend the earlier Summer Program sessions.
Summer Program 2026 Industry Challenges
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Who Can Participate?
The industry challenges are designed for:
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Undergraduate and graduate students
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Researchers and research groups
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Quantum computing and AI learners
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Developers and technical professionals
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Educators and education researchers
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Participants interested in optimization and applied problem-solving
Participants should have enough technical background to contribute to their selected project. Teams may include members with different strengths, including research, coding, mathematical modeling, data analysis, technical writing, education, design and presentation.
You do not need to have attended Summer Program sessions to participate.
Project Expectations
Each submission should clearly communicate:
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The problem your team selected
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Your proposed solution or approach
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The classical, AI, quantum or hybrid methods considered
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The reasoning behind your chosen approach
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Relevant research, evidence or testing
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Limitations and areas for continued development
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The roles and contributions of team members
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Your final conclusions and recommendations
Participants should consult the individual challenge page for any additional partner-specific requirements.
How it Works
1. Register
Complete the free registration for the Projects + Demo Day Only track.
2. Join the WISER Community
Registered participants will receive instructions for joining the WISER Discord server and accessing the challenge channels.
3. Select a Challenge
Review the available industry challenges and choose the one that best matches your experience and interests.
4. Form or Join a Team
Connect with other participants through Discord to find teammates, discuss ideas and begin planning your approach.
5. Develop Your Project
Use the challenge guidelines, recommended resources and partner information to develop and document your proposed solution.
6. Submit by August 7
One person from each team should submit the final project materials through the official project submission form.
Moderna Challenge
Explore an applied problem at the intersection of optimization, advanced computing and the life sciences.
Participants will review the complete challenge statement, identify an appropriate technical approach and develop a clearly documented proposed solution.
BQP Challenge
Explore how emerging quantum algorithms and computational methods may be applied to a complex technical problem.
The complete partner challenge description, available tools and expected outcomes will be added when finalized.
Vanguard Challenge
Investigate an applied financial-services problem using optimization, artificial intelligence, quantum computing or a hybrid computational approach.
The complete partner challenge description, available data and expected outcomes will be added when finalized.
WISER Education Challenge
Explore how education and workforce-development programs can make quantum learning more accessible and help students understand pathways into quantum careers.
Participants will propose a practical resource, program or learning experience designed for students, educators or emerging professionals.