Innovate UK will invest up to £14.3 million in collaborative projects focused on quantum sensing and positioning, navigation, and timing technologies. The funding aims to overcome technical and commercial hurdles to wider adoption across sectors including healthcare, transport, and defense. Applicants face a competitive landscape, with Innovate UK estimating a 30% chance of success based on similar past competitions, the company says. Proposals must demonstrate feasibility and commercial viability within a defined 24-month timeframe, beginning December 1, 2026, and with work and results exploited within the UK.
£14.3M Funding for Quantum Sensing & PNT Adoption
Innovate UK will allocate up to £14.3 million from UK Research and Innovation to bolster quantum sensing and position, navigation, and timing technologies, targeting a crucial gap between laboratory development and real-world application. Proposals must pinpoint a specific barrier to utilizing a quantum technology within a defined use case and then detail an innovative solution, prioritizing field trials and engagement with potential end-users. Eligible projects must be business-led collaborations, requiring at least one small or medium-sized enterprise alongside academic institutions, public sector organizations, or research and technology organizations.
A business can lead only one application, but may collaborate on up to two additional proposals, allowing for broad participation while preventing any single entity from dominating the funding pool. Grant requests must fall between £1 million and £3 million, supporting projects slated to begin by December 1, 2026, and conclude by November 30, 2028.
Successful applicants will be required to conduct project work and exploit results within the UK, ensuring domestic economic benefit from the investment. The competition prioritizes projects utilizing second-generation quantum technologies, those leveraging superposition or entanglement, and specifically includes technologies involving single photon generation and detection.
The competition guidance states that activities such as field trials, proof of concept demonstrations, and other means of facilitating end user or customer engagement should be the primary objectives of proposals, emphasizing practical application over purely theoretical advancements. Innovate UK explicitly excludes projects that do not address a specific adoption barrier, focus on approved technologies, or demonstrate originality, signaling a demand for focused, impactful innovation.</p, according to the company.
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