10004571Anian Virtual LabClosedSmall Business Research InitiativeInnovate UKThe UK government has recently identified several important industries for significant investment and innovation. These industries are vital for the UK's future economic, social, and environmental prosperity. The government has also set ambitious environmental targets, including the achievement of net-zero emissions by 2050 to end the UK's contribution to global warming. One of the identified industries is battery technology. Some £246m has been allocated to the Faraday Battery Challenge, addressing research in areas such as battery materials identification, enhancement, and recycling, while £153m has been allocated to quantum technologies, including the enhancement of conventional computers with quantum computing capabilities. This is a fundamentally different approach to computing, using the properties of quantum systems to provide massive improvements in computational speed and accuracy. However, as for many industries, battery and quantum technologies have suffered disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This has stalled research progress and made it harder to future-proof the batteries industry through engagement with disruptive technology like quantum computing. Our project uses quantum computing to address a long-standing bottleneck faced by researchers who develop battery materials. They find it challenging to accurately and efficiently identify and screen new battery materials. Current methods are very unreliable and involve a 'trial and error' approach. It takes several years to verify new battery materials in the lab. This is highly costly and time-consuming for a materials development company. Global annual spend on materials screening, selection, and performance testing exceeds £40bn (Boston Consulting Group 2019). We will create, develop and commercialise a quantum-enhanced battery materials screening product. It will be set up in a 'virtual lab' environment, so that researchers do not need to be physically present in a lab to conduct their research during the pandemic. To check that it works, we will integrate our product into the existing workflows of UK company Johnson Matthey, a global leader in sustainable technology. We will therefore create an unrivalled _quantum-ready_ product, "Anian Virtual Lab", to help UK business and provide commercial advantage in these challenging times. More broadly, our ambition is to create a game-changing product for major battery materials companies to make their research easier and quicker. This will lead to more sustainable technology and help protect the climate and environment for generations to come.