The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) is rising on Chicago’s South Side, and the momentum surrounding Illinois’ quantum ecosystem continues to accelerate. As new investments and partnerships emerge, so do pathways to ensure the local community has direct opportunities in Illinois’ innovation landscape.
Just weeks ago, government officials, business and civic leaders, educators and community members gathered at Olive-Harvey College to celebrate another milestone for the Park and the region: IBM will establish their FutureNow Chicago center at the IQMP, bringing 750 full-time jobs in AI, cybersecurity, data science, quantum computing and other advanced technology fields to the South Side.
The announcement reflects how the IQMP is already catalyzing workforce development and long-term economic opportunity, while keeping the Park’s most immediate neighbors front and center.
Uplifting Illinois Through Collaboration
FutureNow Chicago will serve as a hub for innovation, helping IBM clients and industry partners solve complex challenges and deliver real-world impact for business and technology. The center will anchor the IQMP’s Quantum Works building – a collaborative space designed to house programs for partners including the National Quantum Algorithm Center (NQAC), the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) of the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and workforce development initiatives focused on preparing Illinois residents for careers in emerging industries.
For IBM’s CEO Arvind Krishna, this is a natural progression of the company’s long-standing partnership with Illinois.
“IBM and the State have had a long history going back over 100 years,” Krishna said at the announcement. “This is the moment to double down on our cooperation and our investment.”
FutureNow Chicago builds on the IQMP’s commitment to drive opportunity in the local community, strengthening Chicago’s Southeast Side as the state becomes a global destination for technological research and development.
“Direct jobs often have a multiplier effect of anywhere from 5 to 10 other jobs in the local community,” Krishna continued. “The goal is to make Illinois a better place to live, to work and to do business.”
That spirit of collaboration has become one of the defining characteristics of the environment taking shape at the IQMP.
Ensuring Innovation and Opportunity Grow Together
From its earliest stages, the IQMP and our partners have worked to ensure the benefits of quantum innovation will extend beyond labs and research institutions. The team is focused on connecting residents closest to the campus with the opportunities in their own backyard.
“The IQMP’s mission is to advance quantum technology so that it can become a tool to help solve the world’s most complex problems, and ensure that those from the community we call home are part of this innovation from the outset,” said Dr. Harley Johnson, CEO of the IQMP.
Johnson described the announcement of FutureNow as another important step toward building “clear, accessible pathways into high-growth technology careers so that people today are empowered to envision themselves in the workforce of tomorrow.”
The creation of those pathways is a central component of the new center. In addition to introducing a new apprenticeship program with City Colleges designed to connect students to careers in technology, IBM has committed to hiring one third of the qualified graduates into FutureNow.
President and CEO of the Illinois Economic Development Corporation (Illinois EDC) Christy George said the partnership demonstrates the benefits of aligning different institutions around a commitment to economic growth.
“This reflects what’s possible when public and private partners come together – by creating direct pathways to careers in tech, this program is expanding access to high-quality jobs for South Side residents while strengthening the talent pipeline that powers Illinois’ economy,” George said.
“What you are seeing here did not happen by chance,” she continued. “It happened because leaders across government, education, philanthropy and the private sector came together around a shared belief – that talent is everywhere, but opportunity must be intentional.”
“At the heart of this work is creating real pathways for real people,” said George. “This is not something that is happening to South Chicago, it is happening with South Chicago.”
A New Chapter for the Neighborhood
Few voices could capture the emotional significance of the moment more powerfully than Dr. Roni Facen, Principal and CEO of St. Francis de Sales High School and a lifelong Southeast Side resident.
“The Southside kid in me is beaming right now,” Facen began. “When the steel mills closed 30 years ago, I watched opportunity and investment skip past the SoutheastSide and leave us behind.”
Facen spoke about the challenge educators face in helping students envision futures within their own communities while facing a lack of resources.
“If you look back at photos from the 50s, 60s and 70s, you see that South Chicago and the Southeast Side was a booming metropolis,” she said. “When I look at those pictures, it has become my push, my lifelong vision, to see us return back there.”
FutureNow Chicago is a concrete indicator that new investment and opportunity are returning to greater South Chicago, thanks in part to the IQMP.
“After decades of false starts and broken promises as the former US Steel Site, the IQMP is already creating real opportunities,” Facen said. “Today’s announcement is further proof that their presence is bringing new investments to the South East Side, which uplifts us all.”
For Facen – and many others in the surrounding area – the significance ultimately comes down to what it means for young people growing up in the community today.
“The most important thing that we can do for students is give them the permission to dream and dream in their own communities,” she said. “The IQMP is doing just that.”
This moment and the addition of FutureNow Chicago is about building an ecosystem where innovation, workforce development and community engagement move forward together.
