Partnership Resource Fund
As part of our EPSRC award, we have dedicated funding available for additional research in collaboration with new academic and industrial organisations. This Partnership Resource Fund (PRF) will allow us to adapt and evolve our work programme in response to new opportunities or requirements in the development of quantum computing and its applications.
Participants in PRF projects can include:
- Hub researchers or project teams who wish to undertake new, unplanned research in collaboration with an industry partner or with a researcher/team not in the Hub
- Researchers currently outside the Hub who wish to contribute to the Hub's work
- Industrial partners who wish to collaborate with a researcher in the Hub
We particularly welcome applications in which early career researchers play a significant role in the development and execution of these projects.
Academic Partnership Resource Fund (A-PRF)
This is intended to fund academic research outside the Hub to address specific research, technology development or applications unforeseen in our original plans, and to access expertise in new fields relevant to the mission of the Hub. A-PRF projects must:
- Offer access to skills and/or capacity not already available in the Hub
- Be focused on technology- or applications-oriented research, and either directly deliver against the Hub's objectives (in the opinion of the Management Board) or be within the scope of the Hub's objectives although unforeseen in the programme proposal
- Be endorsed by or involve a Hub researcher to ensure that the quality of the proposed additional activity meets the standard determined when the Hub researchers were determined
We aim to be flexible in scope, duration and costs, although for guidance: most A-PRF projects are expected to be of up to one year's duration, or two years where there is co-funding available.
Industrial Partnership Resource Fund (I-PRF)
This is intended to fund research that engages with expertise or capabilities in an external organisation that can help accelerate or improve the Hub's research, or where an external organisation wishes to collaborate with a Hub researcher to gain new knowledge. I-PRF projects must:
- Improve the quality of, speed up, or expand the Hub's deliverables, relevant to its objectives
- Involve Hub researchers and a third party - usually a commercial collaborator or an organisation that has unique capabilities or makes a meaningful contribution (in kind or in cash) to advance quantum computing and simulation technologies
- Show evidence of expected market impact, technical feasibility of the concept proposed, and describe the path to impact i.e. field testing, prototyping, miniaturisation, integration, scale-up potential, new services or products
We aim to be flexible in scope, duration and costs, although most I-PRF projects are expected to be less than one year's duration and to demonstrate a meaningful industrial contribution.
Applications
Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis; decisions and awards will be made quarterly. The deadline for submissions to be included in the next review is the 27th of September 2021.
Application guidance notes, as well as a form and cost template, are available to download here.
