CUbit Special Announcement - Upcoming Opportunities

Note: If you are interested in applying for this opportunity, please email Lisa Nanstad (lisa.nanstad@colorado.edu) by April 12. 

Overview

Wellcome Leap’s Supported Challenge Program in Quantum for Bio is focused on identifying, developing and demonstrating biology and healthcare applications that will benefit from the quantum computers expected to emerge in the next 3-5 years. Up to $40M in research funding will be awarded to multidisciplinary, multiorganizational teams and up to $10M in challenge prizes will be available at the end of the program for successful proof-of-concept demonstrations on quantum devices with a clear path to scaling to large quantum computers.

Notably, Wellcome Leap is interested in the development of algorithms that will be realizable on quantum computers expected to emerge in the next 3-5 years; estimated to be able to execute programs with 100 to 200 qubits and depths of O(10⁵-10⁷), which we refer to as the target resources.

Key Dates

• Abstract deadline: April 27, 2023
• Abstract feedback from Wellcome Leap: May 12, 2023
• Proposal deadline: June 12, 2023

Eligibility

Eligible performers are from universities and research institutions: small, medium and large companies (including venture-backed); as well as government or non-profit research organizations. Wellcome Leap encourages individuals, research labs, companies or small teams to apply in program areas best aligned with their expertise and capabilities.

Award

• A $2M prize will be awarded for each team that successfully demonstrates an experimental realization of their application on a quantum computer with more than 50 qubits and a program depth of O(10³-10⁴) and a clear path to scaling to larger quantum computers.
• A $5M grand prize will be awarded to one team that successfully executes their algorithm on a quantum computer using quantum resources that fit into the target resources box in Fig. 1 (see solicitation). In case there is more than one team that achieves this goal, the team of experts that perform the final evaluation will award the grand prize to the team whose application is deemed to be most significant for advancing human health.

Note: If you are interested in applying for this opportunity, please email Andrew Chiacchierini (andrew.chiacchierini@colorado.edu). 

Overview

Through the EPiQS Initiative, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation strives to accelerate progress in the field of quantum materials—solids and engineered structures characterized by novel quantum phases of matter and exotic cooperative behaviors of electrons. Flexible funding grants enable the initiative to respond in a timely manner to emerging opportunities in this field of research.

Candidates are invited to submit ideas in one of the two categories:

1. Equipment grant: Development of complex instrumentation for synthesis and/or experimental investigations of quantum materials, which has the potential to significantly elevate the level of scientific research at your institution and beyond;
2. Rapid response grant: A high-risk, high-impact project that presents a timely opportunity to advance understanding of quantum materials or produce new discoveries in the field. The research project can be experimental, theoretical, or a combination of the two.

Key Dates

• Call for ideas deadline: Monday, May 5, 2023, 9 p.m. PT
• Selection of ideas: Week of August 7, 2023
• Submission of pre-proposals: Week of September 4, 2023

Eligibility

Applicants can submit only one flexible funding project idea as a principal investigator (PI). In addition, an applicant can serve as a co-investigator (Co-PI) on one additional project idea proposed by another PI. Both single-investigator and multi-investigator projects will be considered. In the case of a multi-investigator project, only one investigator (the PI) should submit the idea, whether or not the investigators reside at the same institution.  

Award

The total budget for flexible funding grants is about $19 million for the period 2020-2024. The 2023 call for ideas is anticipated to result in three funded projects with grant sizes between $0.5–1.5 million. The grant duration can be up to 36 months.