ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball joined Connected DMV and the Embassy of the Netherlands to deliver remarks highlighting Howard County’s leadership in technology and industry at the 2025 Quantum World Congress International Dinner. Photos from the event can be found on the County’s Flickr webpage.
As Howard County Executive and as a global citizen, I remain committed to blazing new trails in science and technology and to leading our innovative journey forward together. As I have traveled with our economic development partners – across the United States and abroad in Germany, Ireland, the UK, and Canada – I’ve spoken at events like the It-Sa Expo & Congress and Toronto Tech Week. Through those experiences, one theme is crystal clear: cyber and quantum are our future, and the future is NOW.
During his speech, Ball highlighted how Maryland is home to some of the United States’ most significant quantum assets, including the University of Maryland, Morgan State University, and Johns Hopkins University. Additionally, while at the state level, Maryland’s comprehensive quantum strategy is setting the pace nationwide, with strengths across post-quantum cryptography, quantum sensing, computing, networking, and materials, Howard County has become a place of progress and possibilities. Given its strategic location between the City of Baltimore and Washington D.C., Howard County has positioned itself as the hub of our nation’s cybersecurity and technology efforts.
Howard County is showing the world what it means to lead from the front in cybersecurity and quantum. Under County Executive Ball’s leadership, the county is investing in infrastructure, cultivating a world-class workforce, and building the partnerships that make innovation possible. At Quantum World Congress, that vision—and the global impact it’s driving—was clear for all to see.
Home to nearly 300 cybersecurity companies, from cutting-edge startups to industry giants – including Howard County’s largest private employer Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory who is at the forefront of the global quantum and artificial intelligence awakening, the county is building the infrastructure necessary to support breakthrough research and commercialization. This includes the County establishing an Innovation District through tis redevelopment of Columbia Gateway.
Ball also touted that through Howard County Government’s investments, it has created the largest county-owned public fiber network in Maryland. This network will allow Howard County to meet the growing data demands of quantum computing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies.
Additionally, Ball touched on the importance of investing in its people. Home to one of the nation’s top-performing school systems and the world class Howard Community College, since taking office, Ball’s administration has invested more per pupil than most districts in the nation, as his administration remains focused on ensuring every student is able to succeed in this evolving global economy. Further, Ball touted the progress at Howard Community College’s new Workforce Development and Trades Center. With an investment of $11 million by Ball, the college is taking workforce education to the next level, especially in the field of cybersecurity. When completed in 2026, this center will be a state-of-the-art facility, designed to provide students with hands-on experience in careers that are both growing and critical to our community, and ultimately produce future employees who have the portable and stackable credentials to immediately contribute.
During the World Congress, Howard County Economic Development Authority CEO Jennifer Jones took part in a panel discussion titled, “From the Potomac to the World: Greater Washington's Role as a Global Quantum Hub.” Jones joined regional economic development leaders to examine how coordinated policy, strategic investment, and talent cultivation are creating a world-class quantum ecosystem in our nation's capital region. Jones and her fellow panelists also discussed their collaborative efforts to attract top-tier quantum companies, develop specialized workforce pipelines, and create the infrastructure necessary to support breakthrough quantum research and commercialization.
"Quantum and other emerging technologies are reshaping the global competitive landscape. In Howard County, we are leveraging our strategic location—between the University of Maryland’s quantum research assets and federal agencies like NSA—to build an ecosystem where innovation thrives,” said Jennifer Jones, CEO, Howard County Economic Development Authority. “By aligning state and county strategies, investing in talent pipelines, and creating the infrastructure to support commercialization, we are ensuring Maryland and the region continues to lead the quantum revolution.”