Scaling performance of quantum computing hardware: CR&D

Key Features

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £33 million to develop device level hardware and associated software to meet the scale, programmability, and runtime performance needs of universal fault tolerant quantum computers.

Programme:     Innovate UK

Award:     Share of up to £33 million

Opens: 27th Jun 2026

Closes: 18th Sep 2026

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Grant Funding

Innovate UK are investing up to £33 million to support the development and production readiness of quantum computing hardware device technologies.

Grant Scope

The aim of this competition is to solve critical system development challenges in hardware and associated software technologies required for universal fault tolerant quantum computing platforms.

Projects can focus on the following specific themes:

  • verifiable and uniform below threshold error rate across the qubit package
  • scalable control, input and output channel architecture 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 for achieving critical rate and fidelity performance across the distributed qubit package

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for this grant, projects must have a total grant funding request of between £1 million and £3.5 million with projects lasting between 24 and 36 months. Projects must start by 1st January 2027 and end by 31st December 2029.

Lead Organisation: To lead a collaborative project, organisations must be a UK registered business of any size or a research and technology organisation. If the lead is an RTO it must collaborate with two businesses of any size. Academic institutions cannot lead.

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

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

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

Number of applications: An eligible organisation can only lead on one application. Any further applications by the same organisation as lead will be ineligible. An eligible organisation that is leading an application can be included as a collaborator in two further applications if not leading and can collaborate in any number of applications.

Previous applications: Previously submitted applications cannot be used in this competition.

Grant Exclusions

Innovate UK will not fund the following projects:

  • Projects that do not identify specific capability gaps and solutions for universal fault tolerant quantum computers
  • Projects that do not focus on developing a hardware solution relevant for universal fault tolerant quantum computers
  • Projects that duplicate someone else’s project scope and definition
  • Projects that duplicate existing commercial agreements

Grant Funding

Innovate UK have allocated up to £33 million to fund innovation projects. Funding will be in the form of a grant.

No more than £3 million can be awarded in the form of a grant to any one enterprise in any one competition.

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

Category 2: Industrial research projects

Funding available 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 participation

The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 60% 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 60% 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.