Scaling Performance of Quantum Computing Hardware: CR and D (UK)

The aim of this funding is to solve critical system development challenges in hardware and associated software technologies required for universal fault tolerant quantum computing platforms.

Funding Information

• Your project’s total eligible grant funding request must be between £1 million and £3.5 million.

Eligibility Criteria

• Your project
  • Last between 24 and 36 months.
  • Start from 1 January 2027.
  • End by 31 December 2029.
• Any organisation receiving funding must carry out its project work in the UK, intend to exploit the results in the UK, and spend most of the funding within the UK.
• Projects must always start on the first of the month, even if this is a non-working day. You must not start your project until your Grant Offer Letter has been approved by Innovate UK. Any delays within Project Setup may mean they need to delay your project start date.
• Lead organization
  • To lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size or a research and technology organisation (RTO).
  • If the lead organisation is an RTO it must collaborate with two businesses of any size.
  • Academic institutions cannot lead.
• Project team
  • To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:
    • Business of any size.
    • Academic institution.
    • Charity.
    • Not for profit.
    • Public sector organization.
    • Research and technology organisation (RTO).
  • Each partner organisation must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) by the lead to collaborate on a project. Once partners have accepted the invitation, they will be asked to login or to create an account in IFS. They are responsible for entering their own project costs and completing their Project Impact questions in the application.
  • To be an eligible collaboration, the lead and at least one other organisation must:
    • Apply for funding when entering their costs into the application.
    • Include rationale for the collaboration and describe the structure in your application.
    • Ensure any one partner does not account for more than 75% of the total eligible costs.
• Non-funded partners
  • Your project can include organisations who do not claim any funding for their work on the project. Their costs will be covered from their own resources. These can include UK, EU and other non-UK organisations. Non-UK partners are permitted to carry out project work from within their home countries and exploit the results outside the UK.
  • Where non-funded partners have been invited to the application on IFS, their costs will count towards the total eligible project costs.
• Subcontractors
  • Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.
  • Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process.
  • You can use subcontractors from overseas but must make the case in your application as to why you cannot use subcontractors from the UK.
  • You must provide a detailed rationale, evidence of the potential UK contractors you approached and the reasons why they were unable to work with you. They will not accept a cheaper cost as a sufficient reason to use an overseas subcontractor.
  • All subcontractor costs must be justified and appropriate to the total eligible project costs.
• Number of applications
  • An eligible organisation can only lead on one application. Any further applications by the same organisation as lead will be made ineligible.
  • An eligible organisation that is leading an application can be included as a collaborator in two further applications and if not leading, can collaborate in any number of applications.
• Sanctions
  • This competition will not fund you, or provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with you, which would expose Innovate UK or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from Innovate UK to UK Sanctions.
  • For example, through any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner or subcontractor related to these countries, administrations and terrorist groups.
• Use of animals in Research and Innovation
  • Innovate UK expects and supports the provision and safeguarding of welfare standards for animals used in research and innovation, according to best practice and up to date guidance.
  • Applicants must ensure that all of the proposed work within projects, both in the UK and internationally, will comply with the UKRI guidance on the use of animals in research and innovation.
  • Any projects selected for funding which involve animals will be asked to provide additional information on welfare and ethical considerations, as well as compliance with any relevant legislation as part of the project start-up process.

For more information, visit GOV.UK.