Quantum computing applications for large scale impact: CR&D

Key Features

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £13 million for building quantum computing software applications that show clear value and potential high impact on near term quantum computing systems.

Programme:     Innovate UK

Award:     Share of up to £13 million

Opens: 4th Aug 2026

Closes: 16th Sep 2026

TBAT

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Grant Overview

Innovate UK is investing up to £13 million from UKRI to develop and implement high impact quantum software applications.

Grant Scope

The aim of this competition is to develop and implement high impact quantum software applications to realise the commercial value and broader social value of near term quantum computers.

Projects must focus on one or more of the following specific themes:

  • healthcare and drug discovery
  • finance
  • optimisation for transport and infrastructure
  • design and simulation of new materials
  • quantum machine learning

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for this competition, your project must have a grant funding request of between £300,000 and £4 million. Projects must start by 1st January 2027 and end by 31st December 2029 and last between 24 and 36 months.

Lead organisation: To lead a collaborative project your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size. Academic institutions cannot lead.

Project team: To collaborate with the lead, organisations must be a UK registered business of any size, academic institution, charity, not for profit, public sector organisation or research and technology organisation.

Non-funded partners: Projects can include organisations that do not claim funding for their work on the project. These costs must be covered by their own resources and can include UK, EU and other non-UK organisations. Non-UK partners are permitted to carry out project work from within their home countries and exploit results outside the UK.

Subcontractors: Subcontractors are allowed in this competition and can be from anywhere in the UK. Overseas subcontractors can be used, but you must state why UK subcontractors could not be used in your application.

Number of applications: Eligible organisations can only lead on one application. If leading an application, eligible organisations can be included as a collaborator in two further applications and if not leading, they can collaborate in any number of applications.

Previous applications: Previously submitted applications can be used in this competition.

Grant Exclusions

The following projects will not be funded:

  • Projects that do not focus on solving a particular problem
  • Projects that do not deliver quantum software as their main output
  • Projects that do not intend to assess the commercial value and broader impact of the developed solution
  • Projects that develop exclusive classical software
  • Projects that directly duplicate scope and costs from other UK Government or international initiatives that have been or are currently being funded
  • Projects that do not include delivery of significant and critical activities in the UK

Grant Funding

Innovate UK has allocated up to £13 million to fund innovation projects in this competition. Funding will be in the form of a grant.

Under the Research, Development and Innovation Streamlined Route rules, no more than £3 million can be awarded in the form of a grant to any one enterprise in any one competition. In this specific competition, no more that £1 million can be requested by a single organisation per project.

If your organisation’s work on the project is commercial or economic, your funding request must not exceed the limits below. These limits apply even if your organisation normally acts non-economically but for the purpose of this project will be undertaking commercial or economic activity.

For industrial research you can get funding for your eligible project costs of:

Category 2: Industrial research projects

  • 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 participation

The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 30% of the total eligible project costs. If your consortium contains more than one research organisation undertaking non-economic activity, this maximum is shared between them. Of that 30% you can get funding for your eligible project costs of up to:

  • 100% of your eligible project costs if you are an RTO, charity, not for profit organisation, public sector organisation or research organisation
  • 80% of full economic costs (FEC) if you are an academic institution

Eligibility criteria for claiming 80% of FEC funding

  1. Research organisations must use the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) method as the Je-S form has now been decommissioned.
  2. We pay 100% of the 80% Full Economic Cost (FEC). On IFS only enter the 80% being claimed.

For further information on this competition, please see full details.

Full competition details

Interested in applying for this competition?

Book an appointment to speak to one of our advisors to discuss your eligibility to apply for this Grant Funding opportunity.