The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have announced a joint initiative to fund transatlantic research teams with $10 million (£7.4 million). This funding will support eight teams focusing on foundational chemistry research related to quantum properties such as coherence, entanglement, and superposition in complex molecules.
This initiative builds on a previous $10 million phase launched in 2025, aiming to synthesize custom molecular systems that protect fragile quantum states from environmental disturbances, develop molecular spin qubits, and model quantum information transfer in complex chemical reactions. The program also addresses international research collaboration goals set out in a June 2026 Executive Order on quantum innovation.
The funding will benefit nine U.S. institutions and includes capacity-building awards to enhance competition among researchers. The collaborative efforts aim to advance the design of quantum hardware for applications in sensing, memory, and information processing.
For more details, you can read the official NSF announcement here, or explore prior coverage of the phase one NSF/UKRI initiative here and the U.S.-UK technology partnership here.
Date: September 16, 2026
