September 14, 2026 -- The U.S. National Science Foundation and United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) are bringing together scientists on opposite sides of the Atlantic to explore a shared frontier in chemistry research: quantum information. The agencies are jointly investing over $10 million across eight research projects that are co-led by scientists in the U.S. and UK.

Quantum phenomena such as entanglement and superposition have been observed and studied in individual atoms and particles of light for years. However, demonstrating, controlling, and quantifying such phenomena in molecules and chemical reactions are new scientific challenges. The research teams supported by NSF and UKRI will advance foundational chemistry research in those areas and, in the process, may reveal new ways to address longstanding problems in quantum information science and technology. For example, new molecules could be designed and synthesized to preserve and shield fragile quantum information from environmental changes, such as temperature, which would otherwise destroy the information.

The projects are supported by $5 million from NSF and £3.7 million (about $5 million) from UKRI's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The funding builds on the $10 million investment the agencies announced in 2025 by further expanding research into the types of chemical systems available for quantum applications as well as experimental and theoretical methods to study them. The projects also align with the international research partnerships called for in the "Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation" executive order issued in June. 

"The discoveries that could emerge from these projects may provide not only a new understanding of how molecules work at the most fundamental level, but also completely new methods for creating practical and useful quantum technologies," says NSF Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate Head Tie Luo.

"The second phase of the joint NSF-EPSRC investment in quantum information science in chemical systems reaffirms our shared commitment to advancing discovery at the frontiers of the physical sciences," says EPSRC Executive Director for Research Jane Nicholson. "By bringing together world-leading expertise across disciplines and borders, this program will unlock new avenues for transformative research and help lay the foundations for the next generation of quantum technologies."

The funding from NSF and UKRI will collectively support eight teams of scientists. In the U.S., the scientists are located at nine institutions of higher education across nine states, including one in the NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NSF EPSCoR) program. The NSF EPSCoR program builds research capacity in states that have traditionally received lower levels of federal funding.

The projects will also provide education and training opportunities for students and early-career researchers in developing and using sophisticated methods for quantum information science.

"This joint investment with NSF's longstanding partner, UKRI, brings together the strengths of U.S. and UK researchers to accelerate discovery in quantum information in chemical systems," says Jennifer Pearl, Head of the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering.