Scaling performance of quantum computing hardware: CR&D

Overview

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £33 million in collaborative R&D projects that support the development and production readiness of quantum computing hardware device technologies.

The competition aims to address critical system development challenges in hardware and associated software required for universal fault tolerant quantum computing. Funding is focused on advancing device-level technologies that improve scalability, programmability and runtime performance, enabling the next generation of quantum computing platforms.

Projects should demonstrate innovative hardware solutions that address key capability gaps, validate performance through industrial processes and provide a clear roadmap towards commercial deployment. The competition is technology agnostic, supporting a range of qubit modalities and encouraging collaboration between hardware developers, manufacturers and quantum computing integrators to strengthen UK capability in quantum technologies.

Scope

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.

Projects must:

• Identify one or more prerequisite capabilities and specifications of a universal fault tolerant quantum computer that the project will target.
• Demonstrate the feasibility and performance of hardware and associated software solutions that satisfy the scale, programmability and application runtime requirements of universal fault tolerant quantum computing.
• Validate innovative technologies, industrial processes and hardware solutions that address identified capability gaps.
• Clearly describe the relevant performance and impact roadmap.

Projects are encouraged to:

• Demonstrate commercially viable industrial manufacturing and assembly processes for quantum computing hardware in the UK.
• Co-develop technical solutions with industrial partners and full-stack quantum computing integrators based in the UK.

The competition is technology agnostic with respect to qubit modality, including:

• Superconducting.
• Trapped ion.
• Neutral atom.
• Photonic.
• Spin.
• Other emerging qubit technologies.

Projects must be directly relevant to the exploitation of second generation quantum technologies for universal fault tolerant quantum computing applications.

Second generation quantum technologies are those involving the generation and coherent control of quantum states, resulting in phenomena such as superposition and entanglement. Technologies involving single-photon generation and detection are also in scope.

Key themes and topics

Projects can focus on translating hardware technologies into practical products that address one or more of the following capability gaps:

• Verifiable and uniform below-threshold error rates across the qubit package.
• Scalable control, input and output channel architectures for the specified qubit package.
• Minimising latency and maximising throughput of the quantum syndrome processing cycle, including encode, measure, readout and decode operations for application runtime performance at scale.
• Modular interconnect and qubit networking to achieve critical rate and fidelity performance across distributed qubit packages.

Projects will not be funded where they:

• Do not identify specific capability gaps and solutions for universal fault tolerant quantum computers.
• Do not focus on developing hardware solutions relevant to universal fault tolerant quantum computing.
• Duplicate another project's scope or definition.
• Duplicate existing commercial agreements, including those funded by the UK Government or international agencies.
• Are dependent on export performance.
• Are dependent on domestic inputs usage.

Project duration

Projects must:

• Last 24 to 36 months.
• Start on 1 January 2027.
• End by 31 December 2029.

Award value

Grant funding request must be between £1 million and £3.5 million.

Funding rates

For industrial research projects, purposeful research that builds new knowledge and skills to improve or develop products, processes or services, often through prototypes or system components that validate ideas in realistic settings, you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:

• up to 70% if you are a micro or small organisation
• up to 60% if you are a medium sized organisation
• up to 50% if you are a large organisation

Research organisations can share up to 60% of the total eligible project costs.

Eligibility criteria

• Projects must be collaborative and led by a UK registered business of any size.
• Projects must include at least two organisations claiming grant funding.
• Collaborators can be a UK registered business of any size; an academic institution; a charity; a not for profit; a public sector organisation; or a research and technology organisation (RTO).
• Subcontractors must be preferably UK-based with fully justified and appropriate costs.
• All funded project work must be carried out within the UK.
• Projects must intend to exploit the results from or in the UK.
• Subsidy control and State aid rules apply through the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Subsidy Scheme under the Subsidy Control Act 2022.