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    Completed Programme

    SBRI: Quantum Catalyst Fund

    A £15 million SBRI competition, funded by DSIT and Innovate UK, to help the public sector adopt quantum solutions.

    Project data last updated 11 October 2026

    About this project

    The Quantum Catalyst Fund was a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Innovate UK. It opened in May 2023. Its aim was to speed up the use of quantum solutions by the public sector and for public benefit.

    Phase 1 funded 30 three-month feasibility studies in late 2023. In February 2024 six projects went on to build prototypes in phase 2, which had to finish by 31 March 2025. They were led by Quantinuum (actinide chemistry), MoniRail (railway inertial navigation), Cerca Magnetics (brain imaging), Delta g (gravity cartography), Q-CTRL UK (train schedules) and Phasecraft (energy grid optimisation).

    Who leads it

    • David Woolger

      Chief Executive Officer, Cerca Magnetics

      Cerca Magnetics

    • Rajeeb Hazra

      President and Chief Executive Officer, Quantinuum

      Quantinuum

    Lead organisation

    Innovate UK

    Funder · Swindon

    UKRI's business funder for quantum, behind the Commercialising Quantum Technologies Challenge, the Quantum Missions pilot and ProQure.

    Partners (6)

    Funders

    In the news

    Quantum Zeitgeist articles about Quantum Catalyst Fund, then ones naming its lead or partners.

    • UK Government Announces New Quantum Funding. Investing £45M into Quantum Sector, Aiming for Quantum-Enabled Economy by 2033

      · UK

      UK Funds Quantum Sector with £45M Investment, read on Quantum Zeitgeist

      The UK government is investing £45 million in the country’s quantum sector, aiming to transform into a quantum-enabled economy by 2033. The investment includes £30 million for developing quantum computers and £15 million for the Quantum Catalyst Fund, which aims to accelerate the adoption of quantum

      Image © Quantum Zeitgeist

    • £15M Quantum Catalyst Fund to Revolutionise UK

      · UK

      £15M Quantum Catalyst Fund to Revolutionise UK, read on Quantum Zeitgeist

      The UK government has announced the first winners of a £15 million competition, the Quantum Catalyst Fund, aimed at exploring the benefits of using quantum technologies across various sectors such as health, transport, and net zero.

      Image © Quantum Zeitgeist

    • Researchers Simulate 21-Spin Molecule on Trapped Ion Computer

      Researchers Simulate 21-Spin Molecule on Trapped Ion Computer, read on Quantum Zeitgeist

      Could a quantum computer accurately predict the complex signature of a molecule previously beyond its reach? Now, using Quantinuum’s System Model H2 trapped-ion processor, scientists have simulated the liquid-state proton NMR spectrum of 1,2-di-tert-butyl-diphosphane at a two-qubit gate depth of 144

      Image © Quantum Zeitgeist

    All news for this project and its partners

    Sources

    1. SBRI: Quantum Catalyst Fund, phase 1 and phase 2 (Innovate UK Business Connect) (iuk-business-connect.org.uk)
    2. £15 million competition to accelerate use of quantum in Government (GOV.UK) (gov.uk)
    3. Unlocking the potential of quantum: £45 million investment (GOV.UK, 5 February 2024) (gov.uk)
    4. UK Funds Quantum Sector with £45M Investment (Quantum Zeitgeist) (quantumzeitgeist.com)