The National Research Foundation is investing a total of $121.6 million in the Quantum Engineering Programme. This supports two phases: $25 million for QEP1.0 (2018-2023) and $96.6 million for QEP2.0 (2020-2025).

QEP has deliverables in the following three areas, to which funded projects are expected to contribute:
– Engagement of industry and user-agencies, with cash and in-kind contributions to projects
– Talent development through training of research scientists and engineers, some of whom will be deployed in industry and user-agencies, and of PhD students co-funded with industry
– Evidence of intellectual property and industrial outcomes, measured in spin-offs, prototypes, collaborations and membership of a quantum technology consortium

In QEP’s second phase, most grants will be for 2 to 3 year-long projects, although teams may provide 5-10 year roadmaps if they have them. QEP held a series of calls for proposals from October 2020. 

PIs and Co-PIs are required to fulfil the following criteria at the point of application:
– Hold a full-time appointment (i.e. minimum 9 months of service a year or 75% appointment) in a Singapore-based Institute of Higher Learning and/or Research Institution
– Have a research programme that carries out research in Singapore
– Be an independent researcher or Senior Research Fellow
– No outstanding report(s) from other national grants

QEP will support the development of systems that demonstrate quantum advantage. This covers both the quantum instrument package, as well as the enabling technologies that allow the quantum systems to be scalable and deployable.

Companies are not eligible to bid for funding, but private sector entities can participate as collaborators. We encourage industry engagement and company participation in proposals. Please contact us if you think quantum technology may help to address challenges in your business.

Seven research and development projects have started under QEP’s Phase 1:

– Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors – to improve technology for single-photon detection. Lead PI: Cesare Soci, School of Physical & Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University

– Cost-effective and fast multi-user quantum key distribution (QKD) network with an untrusted centralized quantum server – to implement a measurement-device independent protocol with chip-based components. Lead PI: Charles Lim, Centre for Quantum Technologies and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore

– Integrated quantum receiver for single photon detection – to improve technology for single-photon detection. Lead PI: Gong Xiao, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore

– A fibre-based quantum device – to develop a long-lived quantum memory based on cold atoms inside hollow-core fibres. Lead PI: Lan Shau-Yu, School of Physical & Mathematical Sciences Nanyang Technological University

– A CMOS ion trap for integrated clocks – to pursue miniaturisation of components for atomic clocks. Lead PI: Murray Barrett, Centre for Quantum Technologies and Department of Physics, National University of Singapore

– Quantum foundry – to build capability to design, fabricate and characterise chips related to quantum technology, including for qubits. Lead PI: Manas Mukherjee, Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore

– Quantum photonics for superresolution confocal fluorescence microscopy – to increase the resolution of fluorescence imaging techniques beyond presumed limits. Lead PI: Mankei Tsang, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore

QEP is also supporting an agreement between NUS and IBM, through which researchers in Singapore can apply for access to the IBM Q System for projects. This is managed by our Cloud Quantum Computing Coordinator (see People).

View the list of projects funded under QEP2.0 here.