New Mexico Deploys JTIP Workforce Grants to Support Quantum Hardware Hiring at IonQ and Bandelier Technologies

State economic development agency Economic Development New Mexico (EDNM) has approved more than $12 million in workforce funding under its Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP) for the first quarter of fiscal year 2027. Among the 33 commercial recipients, the state authorized targeted wage-reimbursement awards for two quantum technology ventures expanding technical operations in New Mexico: trapped-ion computing developer IonQ Inc. and Santa Fe-based quantum sensing specialist Bandelier Technologies.

The JTIP initiative reimburses expanding employers between 50% and 90% of eligible employee wages for up to six months during structured technical onboarding. The workforce awards follow earlier state technology commercialization grants administered by EDNM, including the allocation of $1.2 million across regional quantum startups, underscoring New Mexico's sustained policy drive to commercialize deep-tech intellectual property anchored at Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

Expanding Commercial Footprints Around National Laboratory Hubs

The grant allocations reflect differing operational stages across New Mexico's emerging quantum corridor:

• IonQ (Albuquerque): IonQ was awarded $160,951 to subsidize three high-wage engineering roles ($93/hour). The funding supports technical staffing for the company’s Albuquerque operations, where IonQ is an inaugural resident partner at the newly opened 35,000-square-foot Roadrunner Quantum Lab in the downtown Innovation District.

• Bandelier Technologies (Santa Fe): Spun out through the New Mexico Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program (LEEP) with Los Alamos National Laboratory, Bandelier builds photonic quantum radar, quantum sensing instruments, and metasurface antennas integrated with AI for GPS-denied navigation and defense monitoring. Bandelier secured $117,616 in August for three technical trainees ($68/hour) and a follow-on $33,462 in September for an additional specialist ($59/hour).

The workforce subsidies integrate with the state's broader capital incentives, including standing matching fund programs for DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) performers. EDNM Cabinet Secretary Rob Black noted that more than half of the 33 firms funded this quarter represent priority innovation fields spanning quantum information science, fusion energy, and aerospace defense.

Review the statewide award release on the New Mexico Economic Development Department Portal here.

October 24, 2026