India, UK quantum computing tie-up in focus ahead of UK PM’s Mumbai visit

London: A research tie-up between Imperial College London and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay to harness quantum computing and biotechnology to help farmers grow stronger crops that are more resilient to climate change has emerged as a focus area ahead of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s expected visit to Mumbai next week.

The project builds on quantum as a key pillar of the India-UK Technology Security Initiative (TSI), with a mission to cultivate healthier soil microbes and unlock new strategies for protecting crops in arid and climate-vulnerable regions.

The India-UK TSI, signed last year, is scheduled to be at the top of the agenda when Starmer joins Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2025, starting in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Imperial College London President, Professor Hugh Brady, will be among the members of the prime ministerial delegation headed for Mumbai on Starmer’s first visit to India as UK PM.

While further partnerships between the UK university and Indian counterparts are expected, a team led by Imperial’s Dr Po-Heng (Henry) Lee and IIT Bombay’s Dr Indrajit Chakraborty is already leveraging quantum computing to model the complex interactions between plants and bacteria in the soil.

“This collaboration brings together IIT Bombay’s expertise in microbial ecology and genomics with Imperial’s strengths in bioinformatics and quantum computing simulation,” said Dr Lee.

“This project paves the way for quantum technologies to address urgent challenges in global food security and climate resilience,” he said.

With a better understanding of how plants and helpful bacteria “talk” to each other, the researchers hope that they can boost natural processes to make crops grow better and more resilient against drought and extreme weather.

The interactions between plants and bacteria are too intricate for traditional computing methods, but by simulating gene regulation and microbial signalling, the researchers hope to develop new approaches for enhancing soil health and crop productivity, particularly in arid soils.

“By combining our expertise in microbial ecology, we are opening new frontiers in sustainable agriculture. This partnership not only deepens our understanding of plant-microbe interactions but also demonstrates how international collaboration can drive innovative solutions to climate challenges faced by communities worldwide,” said Dr Chakraborty.

The project focuses on a special plant chemical called strigolactone. This acts like a messenger, helping plants and bacteria share information and work together. The scientists are also looking at how adding biochar, a type of charcoal, to soil can make these partnerships even stronger.

Experimental work at IIT Bombay will investigate how synthetic strigolactones influence plant growth and microbial behaviour, while Imperial’s team is developing quantum circuit models to simulate microbial communication. The partnership strengthens bilateral research ties and harnesses the technology and knowledge of both countries at the intersection of quantum computing and biotechnology.

The project is funded by the India Connect Fund, a key initiative of the university’s new science hub in Bengaluru – Imperial Global India. The fund supports up to 25 joint research projects every year between Imperial and partners in India in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum science, biotech and clean energy.

Imperial College London, the world’s second-ranked university, established its Bengaluru hub recently to strengthen further such scientific and innovation partnerships between both countries. It has applied for Imperial Global India to be established as a liaison office, pending relevant regulatory approvals.