EPSRC-NSF: Exploiting Quantum Information Science in Chemistry

Funding to create UK-US research partnerships to explore QIS concepts in the context of chemical systems, or that leverage QIS concepts to advance chemistry research.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is providing funding in partnership with the US National Sciences Foundation (NSF) through the UKRI-NSF memorandum of understanding to establish UK-US research partnerships that explore the role of quantum information science (QIS) concepts in chemical systems, or that leverage QIS concepts to advance chemistry research.

The opportunity seeks to advance fundamental understanding and exploitation of QIS concepts in chemistry. Meeting this challenge will necessitate that the community draw upon its collective expertise in synthesis, measurement, and theory. With chemistry’s extreme flexibility in molecular design, there is the potential to design novel molecular systems that manifest desired quantum behaviour.

Sample research topics include (but are not limited to):

• Developing new ways of creating, observing, and quantifying QIS phenomena (eg, quantum correlations, coherence, entanglement) in electronic, vibrational, and/or rotational quantum states in molecular systems.
• Studying the role of QIS phenomena for example, quantum correlations, coherence, entanglement) in chemical reactions, or exploiting those phenomena in the exploration of new reaction pathways.
• Developing new quantum sensors that can enhance the ability to monitor chemical systems and understand mechanisms.
• Developing new approaches that exploit quantum phenomena to visualise chemical systems at very short length scales, or very fast time scales.

Projects must demonstrate the potential to advance knowledge and understanding in this area through harnessing the unique expertise and synergy of the partners involved. Applications may either develop new collaborations or build on existing relationships.

Applications that include close, synergistic collaborations between experimental and theoretical components are encouraged. Areas of collaboration are expected to be within the remit of the EPSRC’s physical sciences theme and NSF Division of Chemistry disciplinary research programmes respectively. Applications that do not clearly address these topics or specifically explore QIS in chemical systems or how chemical systems can be used to study QIS systems will be rejected.

Up to four joint projects will be supported through this opportunity, starting on 1 July 2025 and lasting up to 36 months.

Subject to finances, EPSRC and NSF intend to run reciprocal funding opportunity, led by NSF, in 2025.