Quantum CR&D Demonstrators for Position, Navigation and Timing

To lead a project or collaborate, your organisation must be a UK registered business of any size, academic institution, charity, not for profit, public sector organisation, or research and technology organisation (RTO).

You must collaborate with other UK registered organisations, and your collaboration must involve at least one micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).

If the lead organisation is an RTO it must collaborate with two businesses, one SME, and one business of any size.

A business, academic institution, research and technology organisation (RTO), charity, not for profit or public sector organisation can only lead on one application but can be included as a collaborator in a further two applications. If a UK registered eligible organisation is not leading an application, it can collaborate in any number of applications.

Your project must:

• have a grant funding request of between £100,000 and £500,000
• last between 12 months and 24 months
• carry out all of its project work in the UK
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• start between 1 April 2025 and 1 July 2025
• end by 30 June 2027

Your project must be collaborative, and your collaboration must involve at least one micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).

You must include a project partner that is a customer or procurer of the system.

The aim of this competition is to accelerate the commercialisation of position, navigation and timing measurement products relying on quantum technologies.

Your project must demonstrate innovative solutions, using second generation quantum technologies to solve end user problems in the measurement of position, navigation, and time. You must support navigation in satellite denied environments, or where high levels of integrity are required, creating resilience in all contexts.

You must demonstrate these technologies in an environment representative of the intended use.

Your project must:

• exploit the capabilities of second-generation quantum technologies
• plan to demonstrate a Position Navigation and Timing (PNT) system that is quantum-based in an end-user relevant environment
• involve a project partner that is a customer or procurer of the system
• be capable of being readily integrated into systems serving specific application areas, for example, underwater, underground, aviation, power distribution, or financial markets
• deliver an innovative, competitive technical solution
• show realistic plans for future commercialisation
• show the potential for manufacturing at scale

We recognise that in timing measurement only, which may be deployed in a financial institution building, a laboratory can represent a relevant environment.

We consider technologies involving single photon generation and detection to be in scope.

Your project must focus on one or more of the following:

• quantum technologies for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT)
• quantum-enabled sensing for navigation applications
• exploiting the capabilities of second generation quantum technologies, defined as those involving the generation and coherent control of quantum states

We are not funding projects that:

• do not exploit the generation and coherent control of quantum states resulting in superposition or entanglement
• do not involve a project partner that is a customer or procurer of the system

An online briefing for potential applicants will be held on Friday 6 September at 11am: click here for the joining link.

If you would like help to find a collaboration partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Quantum team or our Position, Navigation and Timing team.