NIH Quantum Funding Opportunities

Small Business Grants

Funding opportunities are available for small U.S.-based businesses that develop quantum-based technologies. Through NIH’s robust SBIR and STTR programs, small companies can find opportunities that suit their needs in commercializing their technological developments.

• Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Quantum Sensing in Biomedical Applications (SBIR/STTR) – This notice intends to support small businesses in developing and commercializing quantum technologies for biomedical applications. Submission of Phase I, Fast-Track, and Direct to Phase II SBIR, as well as Phase I and Fast-Track STTR grant applications from Small Business Concerns, are encouraged for the purpose of developing tools, resources and approaches for commercialization that harness new quantum sensing approaches to solve biomedical research questions. Application areas of interest include preventing, monitoring and diagnosing disease. The overarching goal is to transition quantum mechanics–based sensing applications from the lab to the biomedical market and clinic. Participating institutes and centers include NEI, NHLBI, NIBIB, NCATS and NCI.

Research and Training Grants

• Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Quantum Sensing Technologies in Biomedical Applications – This notice’s intent is to support innovative and potentially transformative research projects in quantum technology applications in biomedical disciplines. Quantum sensing harnesses the power of quantum physics and mechanics to measure quantum states at the subatomic level to improve sensing performance. The atomic length scale of quantum sensors and their coherence properties, which enable unprecedented spatial resolution and sensitivity, are gaining importance in near-term and real-world applications in biomedical research. Many of the emerging quantum sensing technologies have yet to be explored in biomedical use cases. Through further technology development and optimization, these novel sensing technologies could drastically enhance current biological imaging and sensing measurements. This offers unique opportunities and the capacity to advance biomedical research and clinical translation. Participating institutes and centers include NIBIB, NEI, NHLBI, NIGMS, NCATS and NCI.

NCATS Prize Challenges

• Notice of Announcement of NIH Quantum Technology Prize Competitions – NCATS is leading a set of prize challenges to foster innovation in the fields of quantum computing and quantum sensing as they apply to the biomedical sciences. Partnering institutes and centers include ODSS, CIT, NEI and NIBIB.
• NIH Quantum Computing Challenge – This challenge aims to identify novel biomedical use cases that are amenable to quantum computing–based solutions, including quantum-classical hybrid solutions. By combining expertise and advancements made across such disciplines as engineering, material sciences, biomedical sciences and computational sciences, we hope to uncover new crosscutting technologies in this field. The areas of interest for the current Quantum Computing Challenge include:
  1. Quantum algorithms for drug discovery
  2. Quantum algorithms for clinical risk predictions, diagnosis and therapeutics
  3. Quantum algorithms for biomedical imaging and genomic data analysis
• NIH Quantum Sensing Technology Challenge – This challenge aims to address key subject areas by incentivizing multidisciplinary teams (biomedical, quantum scientists, engineers, computational experts) to work together to apply emerging quantum-enabled sensing approaches to biomedical research and clinical applications to broaden current capabilities in areas such as early detection, diagnostics and therapeutic development. The areas of interest for the Quantum Sensing Technology Challenge include:
  1. Quantum-enabled approaches to advance biomedical applications
  2. Quantum-enabled approaches for early detection and diagnostics
  3. Quantum-enabled sensing and imaging devices for diagnostics and monitoring

Quantum Computing Innovation Lab

• NIH Quantum Computing: New Frontiers in Biomedical Research Innovation Lab – An innovation lab is an immersive, interactive experience. If selected, you will join a highly interdisciplinary group selected, in part, based on a low likelihood of prior interaction in a process designed to catalyze creative thinking.