Overview
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £32.8 million from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to support projects developing supply chains for quantum enabled sensing and position, navigation and timing applications.
This competition is designed to accelerate the commercialisation of sensing systems using second generation quantum technologies. Projects should bring together supply chain partners for a sensing system integrator or manufacturer, helping to solve the innovation challenges that currently slow commercial uptake.
By supporting industrially relevant demonstrations and stronger supply chain collaboration, the competition aims to strengthen the UK’s role within the global quantum technology supply chain.
Scope
The successful commercial adoption of quantum enabled position, navigation and timing and quantum sensing products will require collaborations involving capability from across the quantum supply chain. Comprehensive supply chain engagement is required to overcome the innovation challenges currently slowing commercial uptake.
The aim of this competition is to stimulate the supply chain for sensing or position, navigation and timing solutions enabled by quantum technologies. Projects will bring together the supply chain partners for a sensing system integrator or manufacturer, to accelerate commercialisation of quantum enabled sensing systems. By solving the innovation challenges slowing commercialisation, projects will strengthen the UK’s position as an integral part of the quantum technology supply chain.
Projects must address the challenge of a quantum enabled system integrator, or Original Equipment Manufacturer, relevant to quantum sensing or position, navigation and timing, or address multiple cross-platform challenges.
Projects must:
- deliver an industrially relevant, deployable demonstration of the quantum enabled sensing system
- demonstrate a practical and credible route to market by including a plan to commercialise the sensing solution
- undertake the majority and critical project work in the UK
- plan to further develop and exploit the solution within or from the UK
Demonstrators must rely on second generation quantum technologies.
Second generation quantum technologies are defined as those involving the generation and coherent control of quantum states, resulting in phenomena such as superposition or entanglement. Technologies involving single photon generation and detection are considered in scope.
While a system integrator or an Original Equipment Manufacturer is not required to be a partner, the relevance of that challenge to the end organisation must be evidenced at the proposal stage, and appropriate engagement must be included in the project to support market uptake.
Key themes and topics
Projects are particularly encouraged where they:
- address challenges applicable to various technologies, quantum enabled sensing or position, navigation and timing products, or application areas
- bring a broad consortium from across the quantum sensing supply chain to deliver the project
- address challenges such as advanced packaging and ruggedisation
- demonstrate key component development, miniaturisation and improved efficiency, for example in fibre coupling
Innovate UK wants to fund a variety of projects across different technologies, markets and technological maturities through a portfolio approach.
Innovate UK will fund industrial research projects as defined in the guidance on categories of research.
Projects will not be funded if they do not:
- rely on the use of second generation quantum phenomena, for example, entanglement, superposition effects, or single photons
- involve a collaboration from across the quantum supply chain, addressing an industrially relevant problem or challenge
- result in industrially relevant, hardware demonstrators
Projects cannot be funded if they are:
- dependent on export performance: giving a subsidy to an organisation on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of its products to another country
- dependent on domestic inputs usage: giving a subsidy to an organisation on the condition that it uses a set percentage of UK components in their product
Project duration
36 to 41 months Must start on 1 November 2026 End by 31 March 2030
Award value
Grant funding request between £4 million and £6 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 30% of the total eligible project costs.
Eligibility criteria
- Projects must be collaborative
- Projects must be led by a UK registered organisation
- Projects must involve a collaboration from across the quantum supply chain, addressing an industrially relevant problem or challenge
- Projects must undertake the majority and critical project work in the UK
- Projects must plan to further develop and exploit the solution within or from the UK
- Projects must rely on second generation quantum technologies
- Projects must result in industrially relevant, hardware demonstrators
- Subsidy control and state aid rules apply
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