The FINANCIAL — UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £46.8 million for collaborative research and development or technology projects in quantum. According to UKRI, the aim of this competition is to advance the commercialisation of quantum technologies in the UK and increase private sector investment.
The competition is being funded through UK Research and Innovation’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund for commercialising quantum technologies.
This is a £153 million fund, supported by a significant investment from industry, to remove technical barriers and deliver new products and services based on advances in quantum technology, UKRI notes.
Industrial impact
Quantum technologies are set to have a broad industrial impact.
The challenge is looking to fund a portfolio of projects, across a variety of:
technologies
markets
technological maturities.
Projects must exploit second generation quantum techniques and focus on one or more of the following themes:
Connectivity: techniques for securing data in storage and in flight.
Situational awareness: including sensors and detectors for the built environment, transport and infrastructure. Imaging and sensing to “see things currently invisible”.
Computing: transformational computers for solving currently intractable problems.
An exciting challenge
Challenge Director Roger McKinlay said:
“We now have a growing ecosystem in the UK of businesses and research organisations who are looking at the exciting challenge of how we commercialise quantum technologies. This significant competition opening will further reinforce the strong interest in these industrial activities.”
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