Business Opportunities

Unitary Fund runs a microgrant program to fund teams to work on quantum technologies.

The European Innovation Council work programme 2024 opens funding opportunities worth over €1.2 billion for strategic technologies and scaling up companies. The majority is dedicated to SMEs and start-ups to develop and scale up “deep tech” innovations in critical fields such as generative artificial intelligence (AI), space, critical raw materials, semiconductors and quantum technologies.

Post-quantum resistant cryptographic algorithms should be deployable in a dynamic manner in order to quickly react to new quantum computer developments. Recommendations for post-quantum cryptography have already been published, but have to be maintained up-to-date, Proposals received under this topic should contribute to developing coordinated European recommendations for the transition to post-quantum cryptography across the EU. The identification and analysis of potential regulatory aspects and barriers for the developed technologies/solutions is encouraged, where relevant.

“It’s Good for Missiles to Talk”. Novel ideas that ultimately bring benefit to end-users working in UK defence and Security through potential integration into the Generation After Next of UK missile systems. We are particularly interested in solutions to the 5 challenge areas which utilise: i) application of Artificial Intelligence. ii) emerging technologies; for example neuromorphic sensors, photonics integrated circuits, quantum computing and processing can be considered but note the objective for TRL 3-5 output.

QHack is a world-renowned quantum hackathon that takes your education to the next level and helps you connect with others in the quantum community.

iQuHACK (interdisciplinary Quantum HACKathon) is MIT's annual quantum hackathon. We aim to bring students (high school through early-career professionals) from a diverse set of backgrounds to explore improvements and applications of near-term quantum devices. MIT iQuHACK 2024 will have an in-person hackathon where participants develop and test their code on real quantum hardware and a virtual hackathon for a larger outreach.

Airbus and BMW Group have joined forces to support the launch of the Airbus-BMW Group Quantum Computing Challenge (ABQCC) under the motto “The Quantum Mobility Quest”. This challenge is the first-of-its-kind, bringing together two global industry leaders to harness quantum technologies for real-world industrial applications, unlocking the potential to forge more efficient, sustainable and safer solutions for the future of transportation.

In Nature Computes Better, we’re looking to fund high potential proposals with between £10k and £500k each. We initially expect to fund up to 10 opportunity seeds in this space. We’re looking for bold ideas that could challenge assumptions, open up new research paths, or provide steps towards new capabilities. If you have an important idea you’re obsessed with, but you don’t currently have the resources or support to take it forward, we’d like to hear from you. Ideas could come from anywhere, so we welcome applications from individuals and teams who are early in their career or who have atypical backgrounds. We care more about your idea and your intrinsic motivation than we do about your CV.

Are you a scientist who wants to consolidate your independence by establishing a research team and continuing to develop a success career in Europe? The ERC Consolidator Grant could be for you. You can also apply if you have recently created an independent, excellent research team and want to strengthen it.

There are a number of opportunities to get involved with work funded by the NQTP.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) intends to promote international cooperation in quantum technologies as part of its “Research Programme on Quantum Systems. Developing high-tech. Shaping the future.” (“Forschungsprogramm Quantensysteme. Spitzentechnologie entwickeln. Zukunft gestalten.”) The task at hand, therefore, is to bring together the best players from a range of different countries, consolidate resources for joint research and development (R&D), and both inspire and train the quantum technology specialists needed now and in the future.

The DOE SBIR/STTR Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA) are listed on our Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA) page. To learn about the technology areas with available DOE SBIR/STTR funding, view either the Topics documents or webinars in the Funding Opportunity Announcements FOA table.

Alliance Quantum grants will reinforce, coordinate and scale up Canada's domestic research capabilities in quantum science and technology through partnerships between university researchers and organizations from the private, public or not-for-profit sectors. This funding opportunity will be delivered through various calls for proposals, of which Strengthening Canada's quantum research and innovation capacity is the first. Your proposal may address any challenges in quantum science, but its thrust must aim to advance one or more of the NQS missions through the development of any of the following areas of quantum technologies: quantum algorithms/encryption, including post-quantum cryptography, quantum communications, quantum computing, quantum materials, quantum sensing

Boost your innovation with a rare funding proposition from Mitacs. For a limited time, every dollar you invest in R&D is doubled by us, effectively tripling your project’s financial firepower. This exceptional 2:1 funding leverage is our commitment to driving breakthroughs in key economic sectors. Embrace the challenge of innovation with enhanced funding. Access top-tier research expertise and a pool of skilled workforce to become more competitive. With Mitacs’s support, you can propel your innovation projects to unprecedented heights, establishing your company as a beacon of industry-leading innovation. Act swiftly — this augmented support is a time-sensitive advantage designed to accelerate your success.

The ExpandQISE program helps build and maintain a close connection between new efforts and existing impactful work in research, research training, education, outreach, and broadening participation done at the existing QISE Centers such as, for example but not limited to NSF QLCI Institutes, DOE National Research Centers, NSF Quantum Foundries, or leading QISE research Institutions, while creating and nurturing necessary critical mass at Institutions not yet fully involved in QISE. In keeping with the NSF goal of increasing the participation of all members of society in the scientific enterprise, institutions from EPSCoR jurisdictions, and institutions at which more than 50% of enrolled students come from groups that are currently under-represented in the sciences, e.g. minority-serving institutions (MSIs), are especially encouraged to apply.

The call for proposals 'DIGITAL-ECCC-2024-DEPLOY-CYBER-06’ under the Digital Europe Programme is now published: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/digital/wp-call/2024/call-fiche_digital-eccc-2024-deploy-cyber-06_en.pdf

The purpose of the grant is to support international collaboration in quantum technology. Sweden, via the Swedish Research Council, is one of the 22 countries taking part in the QuantERA call. Focus: QuantERA: Quantum technology. The Swedish Research Council supports the project under the theme: “Quantum Phenomena and Resources”. Applicant: Individual researcher who participates as 1 of maximum 2 Swedish project leaders in a consortium with partners from at least 3 participating countries. Only researchers at an administrating organisation approved by the Swedish Research Council may apply.

The grant will provide funding to create a centre that will undertake industry growth activities to catalyse industry growth, support collaborative research and strengthen Australia’s position as a global quantum leader.

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) supports faculty research, scholarship, and creative endeavors through a wide range of internal funding programs. OVPR internal grants serve as high-leverage, strategic investments in outstanding faculty research projects that are at critical stages of development. Our internal funding mechanisms are designed to competitively identify projects that fit our key funding criteria–projects that meet the highest disciplinary standards for excellence and are at a “tipping point” where specific work can lead to breakthroughs, external funding, and/or significant recognition. Recognizing that those crucial moments occur at various stages of the research process (and require different levels of funding to address, depending on your discipline), OVPR internal funding programs include large and small dollar mechanisms that focus on seed funding, completion/publication funding, and commercialization funding.

As the anchor point of a quantum ecosystem, the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) attracts the brightest minds to advance critical quantum research and technologies with breadth and depth unlike any peer institution in the world. Discover our award winning researchers, and explore new opportunities for awards and grants.

A global quantum tech competition in 2023-2024, challenging experts, researchers, consumers, and enthusiasts to come together to solve today’s energy industry problems with tomorrow’s quantum knowledge. The Quantum City Challenge is made possible by Quantum City, facilitator AWS, and is supported by the Government of Alberta and the University of Calgary.

The national funding bodies from 15 countries have allocated funding for organisations collaborating on international R&D projects in the field(s) of applied quantum technology. You can submit your R&D project application for this call for projects between 1 February 2024 and 9 May 2024. Your project consortium must include organisations based in a minimum of two of the countries listed in this call for projects.

Talented writers and filmmakers have been submitting their quantum-inspired creations to Quantum Shorts for the past ten years. Do you have a little time to explore? We recommend you start with the winning and shortlisted films of the previous film call. You might want to read some quantum stories too. In Quantum Shorts 2021/22, the story “Helping Hands” by Cora Valderas claimed top prize. Then visit our Inspiration section to fill up on quantum ideas.

Deloitte aims to drive impactful, climate-relevant collaborations between sustainability and climate professionals and quantum computing experts by hosting an annual Quantum Climate Challenge. This pioneering initiative encourages innovative problem solving as interdisciplinary teams come together to explore the potential of quantum computing to address critical, pressing climate change issues. Participants have two months to solve the problem, and the top five will present their solu-tions to an expert panel of judges. The participants compete for a price pool of 12.000€

XPRIZE Quantum Applications is a 3-year, $5M global competition designed to generate quantum computing (QC) algorithms that can be put into practice to help solve real-world challenges.

This program will provide joint (consortia) collaborations with funding to develop solutions or a component(s) that contribute(s) to a solution for market-led challenges of national significance using quantum technologies. Grants from $100,000 to $500,000 for a Stage 1 Feasibility project. If your Stage 1 Feasibility project is successful, you may receive up to $5 million for a Stage 2 Demonstrator project.

Fujitsu Limited(“Fujitsu”) would like to solicit applications from interested members of the industry and academia to test the quantum simulator on novel problems and applications. Building on last year’s successful Quantum Simulator Challenge 2023, this contest will include several new and advanced features implemented in Fujitsu’s Quantum Simulator. Our objectives are i) Apply quantum simulator to customer pain points; ii) Test the quantum simulator with real world applications; iii) Explore quantum use cases collaboratively with participants selected by Fujitsu (the “Participant(s)”); iv) Obtain feedback from Participants on performance and scalability

This year’s CyberCall is looking for solutions in the following (but not limited to) areas: 1) Cybersecurity for Artificial intelligence (AI). 2) AI for cybersecurity. 3) Quantum Safe. 4) Operational Technology (OT) / Internet of Things (IoT) security. 5) Cloud security. 6) Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PET).

The Calgary edition of the GenQ Quantum Hackathon offers quantum enthusiasts - students, business people, programmers, lateral thinkers, or designers - the opportunity to meet like-minded people, quickly develop innovative solutions in a cool event, expand their skills, and win cool prizes.

DIANA’s mission is to identify and support innovators from across NATO – in turn, helping the Alliance maintain its technological edge, protect its one billion citizens and build a peaceful and more resilient future. We work with some of the planet’s most dynamic and exciting young companies to find dual-use solutions to defence and security challenges. DIANA needs the brightest and the best, and we are delighted that you’re considering joining us.