Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £1.5 million from the UKRI. This is subject to a sufficient number of high quality applications being received.
The aim of this competition is to strengthen collaborative research and development towards commercialising quantum technologies, through Netherlands and UK partnerships.
Your proposal must plausibly demonstrate co-innovation, high potential for commercialisation and address a technological challenge and global market exploitation plan.
Your project must focus on development, prototyping and testing of commercial quantum technologies in one or more of the following themes:
- software or hardware solutions to advance commercial deployment of entanglement based quantum networking
- quantum computing algorithms, software applications, and hybrid workflows
- the adoption of quantum sensing and imaging for commercial applications in areas, including, life sciences, healthcare and public infrastructure
- demonstrate commercially viable industrial manufacturing and assembly processes to build hardware devices such as detectors, control electronics, laser and optical systems, vacuum and cryogenic systems to enable next generation performance for quantum computers and networking applications
We encourage projects to include Testbed Providers or pilot production lines in the United Kingdom and/or the Netherlands.
UK registered businesses must collaborate with at least one Netherlands based non-linked registered business applying under the equivalent Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) programme, and can also collaborate with other UK organisations.
UK registered organisations must apply through the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) portal to Innovate UK. Your Netherlands based partner will not receive any funding from Innovate UK.
Netherlands based partners must apply to, and will be funded by, Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) programme component of the project set out in this application.
The project must be independently selected by both Innovate UK and Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) programme to be eligible to be awarded funding.
Our experience from similar competitions suggests that you could have 33% chance of success.
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To start an application on the Innovation Funding Service (IFS), your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size.
You must collaborate with at least one Netherlands registered for-profit business applying to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) programme which must be a separate legal entity, not linked to the UK partners.
Netherlands based organisations can be a project lead but cannot start an application on IFS.
No one country or project partner can represent more than 70% of the total project cost.
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 a further two applications and if not leading, can collaborate in any number of applications.
Additional UK partners
To collaborate with the lead in addition to the above, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:
- business of any size
- academic institution
- charity
- not for profit
- public sector organisation
- research and technology organisation (RTO)
Subcontractors are allowed in this competition, but they are limited to no more than 20% of the total eligible costs of the UK participation.
Only UK registered partners must be listed in the Project Partner section of your application on the Innovation Funding Service (IFS). Your Netherlands based partner will not receive any of this UK competition funding. Netherlands based partners will be funded by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) programme following a parallel application.
Each organisation in your consortium will receive funding from its respective national funding body.
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Your project must:
- have a grant funding request of between £250,000 and £400,000
- last between 18 and 24 months
- not start before 1 June 2027
- end by 30 May 2029
The majority of the project work must be undertaken in the UK and Netherlands. UK project partners must carry out the majority of their project work in the UK and intend to exploit the results from or in the UK and spend most of the funding within the UK.
Your project must demonstrate a balanced technological contribution by the participants from both countries and must be equally significant to all participants.
No one country or project partner can represent more than 70% of the total project cost.
Your proposal must demonstrate a clear intention to commercially exploit the results of the project domestically or globally.
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The aim of this competition is to strengthen collaborative research and development towards commercialising quantum technologies, through Netherlands and UK partnerships.
Your project must focus on development, prototyping and testing of commercial quantum technologies in one or more of the following themes:
- software or hardware solutions to advance commercial deployment of entanglement based quantum networking
- quantum computing algorithms, software applications, and hybrid workflows
- the adoption of quantum sensing and imaging for commercial applications in areas, including, life sciences, healthcare and public infrastructure
- demonstrate commercially viable industrial manufacturing and assembly processes to build hardware devices such as detectors, control electronics, laser and optical systems, vacuum and cryogenic systems to enable next generation performance for quantum computers and networking applications
We encourage projects to include Testbed Providers or pilot production lines in either, or both the United Kingdom or the Netherlands. The participating testbeds may be hosted at either a National lab, Research organisation or University research facility.
Testbeds are prototype or development platforms to characterise, advance and demonstrate commercial quantum compute, networking, sensing solutions.
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We are not funding projects that are:
- market research, road mapping or landscape studies
- not covered by any of the four specific themes and not focussed on advancing the commercial use of second generation quantum technologies
For the purpose of this competition, second generation quantum technologies exploit superposition and entanglement phenomena in applications.
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An online briefing will be held at 11:30am on Wednesday 11 November: click here to register for a place. A recording and slides will be available afterwards.
If you would like help to find a collaboration partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Quantum or Global teams.
Innovate UK's application and funding process
If you need more information about how to apply, please read our funding support pages. For additional support, reach out to our team of innovation experts who are ready to help you navigate the application process and maximise your chances of success.
For more information
Accessibility and Inclusion
Innovate UK welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes making reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us.