Notice

Competition brief: commercialisation of quantum technologies, feasibility studies

Updated 29 March 2017

This notice was withdrawn on 21 September 2017

This competition is no longer open. Search current funding opportunities.

1. Dates and deadlines

Competition opens	Monday 30 January 2017
Networking events	Wednesday 8 February 2017 in London Tuesday 21 February 2017 in Edinburgh Thursday 2 March 2017 in Birmingham
Briefing webinar	Monday 13 February at 10:00am
Registration deadline	Midday on Wednesday 29 March 2017
Application deadline	Midday on Wednesday 5 April 2017

2. The competition scope

The aim of this competition is to encourage collaborative feasibility studies that will improve understanding of the technical or market feasibility of a product or service.

The scope of this competition allows for both technical and non-technical projects. This includes projects that focus on understanding the business or market opportunity and challenges.

2.1 Technical projects

These projects will establish feasibility for devices that exploit one or more of the following phenomena:

• entanglement
• superposition

The scope also allows for component technologies. These will be important in the construction of future quantum systems or subsystems. They include but are not limited to:

• vacuum systems
• stabilised laser systems
• integrated systems, including integrated lasers and vacuums
• algorithms, control and interpretation software
• single photon light sources and detectors

2.2 Non-technical projects

These projects will involve work to understand:

• future markets
• applications or business models
• the route to future commercialisation
• adoption of quantum technologies
• the effect that quantum technologies might have on existing businesses or business models

This may include projects that involve one or more of the following activities:

• knowledge exchange, learning and understanding of quantum technologies and their potential applications
• capture of user, performance or testing specifications (either to the applicant or customer organisation)
• internal ‘roadmapping’ activities

To allow for all levels of interest we are running a collaborative research and development (CR&D) competition in parallel with this competition. This will allow for the development of quantum technologies that are closer to market.

3. Projects that we won’t fund

In this competition we are not funding fundamental research.

We define fundamental research as work that:

• still requires excessive theoretical work
• has not proven its effectiveness through previous experiments or prototypes

4. Find out if you are eligible to apply

To lead a project you must:

• be a UK-based business of any size or a research and technology organisation (RTO) working within the limits that are provided in the guidance for applicants
• carry out your project in the UK
• work in collaboration with others (businesses, research base or third sector)

5. Funding and project details

We have allocated up to £5 million to fund feasibility studies in this competition.

We expect projects to last between 6 months and 1 year. We expect them to range in size from total project costs of £50,000 to £500,000. We may consider projects outside this range but you must contact us to discuss this before you apply.

A business or RTO must lead the project and be collaborative.

See the general guidance for applicants for circumstances where RTOs may lead.

You can find out more in the guidance for applicants. A link will be available when the competition opens.

You can also attend a briefing and networking event.

Your project must focus on technical feasibility. You could get:

• up to 70% of your eligible project costs if you are a small business
• up to 60% if you are a medium-sized business
• up to 50% if you are a large business

The total of all research organisation costs can be no more than 50% of the total project costs.

Find out if your business fits the EU definition of an SME.

6. How to apply

To apply:

• register online
• read the guidance for applicants for this competition
• watch the briefing webinar recording
• attend networking events on:
  • 21 February 2017 in Edinburgh
  • 2 March 2017 in Birmingham
• complete and upload your online application on our secure server

We will not accept late submissions. Your application is confidential.

Businesses may only participate in a maximum of 3 projects across both the research and development and feasibility studies streams of this competition.

External, independent experts assess the quality your application. We will then select the projects that we fund, to build a portfolio of projects as described in the competition guidance for applicants. Please read this carefully before you apply.

Also please read the general guidance for applicants it will help your chances of submitting a quality application.

7. Background and further information

In December 2013, the UK government announced a £270 million work programme over 5 years. This was to establish the UK as a world leader in the commercialisation and exploitation of quantum technologies. This is a new and exciting £1 billion sector that Innovate UK has predicted will grow over the next decade.

Innovate UK and EPSRC published A roadmap for quantum technologies in the UK in September 2015. It outlined recommendations for realising this new industry. One of the 5 action areas was ‘stimulating application and market opportunities’ in the UK. The roadmap identified promising applications for quantum technologies including:

• short-term applications (up to 5 years to market) such as components for quantum systems, compact atomic clocks, quantum-enhanced imaging for non-medical applications and quantum communication systems
• medium-term applications (5 to 10 years to market) such as medical imaging, navigation systems and other sensor systems
• long-term applications (more than 20 years to market) such as networked quantum information systems, quantum computers and quantum technologies for consumer applications

To ensure that these technologies develop into real products and services, we have set up 4 quantum hubs. The following universities lead these hubs:

• University of Glasgow (quantum enhanced imaging hub)
• University of York (quantum communications technologies hub)
• University of Birmingham (quantum sensing and metrology hub)
• University of Oxford (quantum networked information technologies hub)

Businesses can apply for grants to support innovation, develop quantum technologies and explore potential commercial applications. The first round of innovation funding was provided through the competition ‘Exploring the commercial applications of quantum technologies’ which opened on 1 April 2015. It provided £4.7million to support 25 industry-led projects. A second round of funding provided £13 million and supported 28 projects.

We have designed this competition to continue the support for innovation in this area. This will enable businesses to turn quantum technologies into new products and services. It will help businesses new to the sector to discover the benefits of these new technologies. It can also help them establish feasibility of early-stage ideas, concepts or business models for future quantum products or services.

We will run competitions supporting innovation in the quantum technologies sector up until 2019. This will provide businesses with continuous and coherent support. It will also help them to bring these new cutting-edge products to market.

If you want help to find a project partner, contact the Knowledge Transfer Network If you need more information, contact the competition helpline on 0300 321 4357 or email us at support@innovateuk.gov.uk.