As part of the India–UK Technology Security Initiative, two institutions will apply quantum computing to agricultural research.
IIT Bombay and Imperial College London have started a Joint Research project to explore how quantum computing and biotechnology can improve farming and soil health. The work is part of India-UK Technology Security Initiative (TSI), a programme that supports collaboration between India and England in new emerging technologies.
The project is funded through the India Connect Fund and managed by Imperial Global India, the university’s Bengaluru-based science hub. The fund supports research partnerships between Indian institutions and Imperial College in areas such as quantum technology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and clean energy.
This study focuses on understanding how plants and soil microbes communicate. The researchers are studying a plant chemical called strigolactone, which helps plants interact with bacteria in the soil. By understanding this process, the team hopes to find ways to make crops more resilient to drought and other environmental challenges.
Dr Indrajit Chakraborty of IIT Bombay says: “By combining our expertise in microbial ecology, we are opening new frontiers in sustainable agriculture.
IIT Bombay will lead the lab-based research, studying soil microbes and how plant signals affect their behaviour. Imperial College will focus on quantum computer modelling, using advanced simulations to study how these biological interactions work at the molecular level. Quantum computing can process complex data that traditional computers cannot, allowing the researchers to model these natural processes in more detail.
The project will also study how biochar, which is a carbon-rich material added to soil, can support microbial growth and improve soil quality.
