Quantum-Safe Kickstarter Grant
Helping organisations take practical first steps towards quantum-safe migration
Last updated on 14 October 2026
What Is This?
The Quantum-Safe Kickstarter Grant aims to help Singapore organisations begin practical quantum-safe migration efforts.
Advances in quantum computing threaten to break the cryptography that protects today’s digital infrastructure. While the exact timeline of this threat remains uncertain, attackers are already expected to be stealing encrypted data today, with the intent of decrypting it later when quantum computers mature. It is therefore important for organisations, especially those who own critical systems, to ensure that their systems are resilient against quantum threats.
CSA has issued quantum-safe migration guidance (opens in new tab) to Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) owners and other organisations exposed to quantum risks. CII owners will need to submit their quantum-safe migration plans for their CIIs to CSA by 31 March 2027 and complete their migration of CII systems by 31 December 2031. New procurement of CII systems must also factor in quantum-safe considerations from 2028 onwards. For non-CII owners exposed to quantum risks, it is recommended that a quantum-safe migration plan be in place by end-2027, with migration completed by 2035.
Organisations can tap on the Quantum-Safe Kickstarter Grant to pilot and evaluate quantum-safe solutions in-house or with solution providers. This is to help build confidence and hands-on experience with migration for organisations and generate lessons that benefit the wider ecosystem.
Who Is This For?
Non-government organisations that are:
Registered and incorporated in Singapore
Piloting quantum-safe solutions or undertaking quantum-safe migration activities within their Singapore-based operations
Grants are awarded on a first-come-first-serve basis, subject to CSA’s assessment of project eligibility, scope alignment and strategic value. CSA reserves the right to prioritise applications that demonstrate significant impact on Singapore’s quantum-safe ecosystem.
What is Covered
Project options
Option A: Pilot with a Solution Provider | Option B: In-House Pilot |
|---|---|
Participating organisations may engage vendors to support their pilots. To help organisations get started, CSA can share a non-exhaustive list of vendors offering relevant solutions for consideration.* Or, Organisations may engage vendors that are not on this list. In such cases, applicants will be asked to provide additional information on the vendor to support the evaluation of their application.
| Implement solutions without engaging external vendors through a formal commercial agreement. |
Priority Use Cases
These are illustrative examples, other strong use cases will be considered
End-to-End Migration for a Small Application or System | Fully migrate one bounded, low-complexity application or system. Includes identifying what needs to be migrated, implementing the transition, and confirming it works. This may include testing quantum-safe technologies in common systems such as secure web browsing, remote access (VPN), identity verification, or certificate management. |
|---|---|
Cryptographic Discovery and Inventory | Identify vulnerable cryptography across systems, applications, certificates, protocols, devices, hardware modules, and supply chains. |
Migration of OT, Legacy and Infrastructure-Heavy Systems | Assess, plan and/or execute migration for Operational Technology (OT), embedded devices, network appliances, and other legacy or infrastructure-heavy systems that are costly or difficult to replace and have long lifecycles. |
Crypto-Agility Implementation | Implement the technical capability and approaches for a system to switch cryptographic assets with minimal disruption and redesign. |
Exploration of Complementary Quantum-Enabled Solutions | Limited trials of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) or other quantum-enabled security technologies, complementing but not necessarily replacing Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), for specific use cases that warrant additional assurance. |
Grant Details
Grant Period
Applications for the grant are now open. Projects will be given up to six months for project completion and must be completed by 31 Oct 2027. Applicants applying closer to the end of the grant period should cater sufficient time for application review and project implementation.
Grant Structure & Funding
Grant Coverage: Up to 70% of project costs
Co-funding required: 30% cash contribution (excl. in-kind contributions such as internal manpower costs)
Disbursement Approach
Organisations may choose one of two disbursement options:
Option A: Engaging a Solution Provider | Option B: In-House Project | |
|---|---|---|
First disbursement (50%) | Upon project approval, signing of the Letter of Award (LOA), and submission of signed commercial agreement with solution provider | No upfront disbursement |
Final disbursement | Remaining 50% upon report acceptance | 100% upon project completion, report acceptance, and submission of cost documentation |
Pilot Details
Process and Timeline
Your Responsibilities
Active project ownership — You will lead the scoping, execution, and reporting of the pilot
Co-funding 30% of project costs — Cash contribution required; in-kind contributions (e.g. internal staff/manpower costs) are not counted
Submitting a report — Documenting and submitting key findings from the pilot to CSA
What Happens After the Pilots?
Knowledge sharing
CSA consolidates learnings across all pilots and shares key insights with other ecosystem partners. This can be through events, or online and printed resources. We are happy to work with you to showcase your efforts, or keep your findings anonymous.
Continued support
CSA is happy to provide support to organisations to build on their pilots into deeper capability, including through technical consultancies.
All results welcome
Quantum-safe migration remains an evolving field, and all outcomes can provide valuable insights, including where results are preliminary or inconclusive.
What Should the Report Cover?
Key sections to include in your pilot report
# | Section | What to include |
|---|---|---|
1 | Project Overview | Brief description of the problem statement, migration activity undertaken, chosen solutions, and project objectives. |
2 | Technical Implementation | How the quantum-safe solution was deployed: architecture, integration approach, data inputs, and any configuration or customisation done. |
3 | Testing & Evaluation Methodology | How you assessed the solution: what you tested, how you tested it, what metrics and thresholds you used, and how you determined success or failure. |
4 | Results & Findings | Quantitative and qualitative outcomes against your success metrics. Include both what worked and what did not. |
5 | Limitations & Risks Observed | Specific limitations of the solution observed during the pilot — e.g. compatibility issues, performance constraints, integration challenges, or maturity gaps in quantum-safe standards. |
6 | Challenges & How They Were Addressed | Practical difficulties encountered (e.g. data access, staff time, vendor responsiveness) and how they were mitigated. |
7 | Recommendations & Next Steps | Whether your organisation intends to scale up, modify, or discontinue use of the solution, and what conditions would be needed to do so. |
8 | Resourcing & Effort | Approximate time and resources invested by your team and the solution provider, to help CSA calibrate future guidance on what projects realistically require. |
Application Form
Access the Quantum-Safe Kickstarter Grant Application Form here. [PDF, 335.21 KB] (opens in new tab)
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I know if my application is approved?
CSA aims to provide an outcome within 4 weeks of receiving a complete application. Incomplete applications will not be processed. Until written approval is provided, we suggest that you do not execute any commercial agreement with any intended solution provider.
What if my project takes longer than 6 months?
Projects should be completed within 6 months of grant award. Timeline extensions may be granted on a case-by-case basis with clear justification. Extension requests must be submitted before the original completion date.
Will my report be made public?
CSA may publish aggregated or anonymised insights across all projects through consolidated reports or at public events. Individual organisation reports will not be published without your explicit consent.
How long should my report be?
There is no minimum length requirement. All eight required sections of the report must be addressed. CSA may request clarifications before acceptance of the report, and incomplete submissions will be returned for revision prior to final disbursement.
What if the solution does not perform as expected?
Negative or inconclusive results remain valuable and should be documented transparently.
Can subsidiaries or related entities submit separate applications?
Yes. Each application will be assessed on its own merits. Use cases must be clearly differentiated, and CSA reserves the right to limit the total number of awards to any single corporate group.
Is GST included in the project cost for grant calculation purposes?
No. The grant covers up to 70% of project costs excluding GST. GST, where applicable, is to be borne by the applicant organisation.
Can I engage a solution provider that is based overseas?
While the vendor can be based overseas, the solution must be deployed and evaluated in a Singapore-based operational environment.
Can one project involve multiple vendors (e.g. for interoperability pilots)?
Such proposals may be considered case by case, provided each vendor’s role, scope and costs are clearly set out. Please consult CSA before moving forward with submission.
What happens if my chosen vendor withdraws or fails to deliver?
Please inform CSA immediately. CSA is not liable for additional costs, and remaining disbursements may be withheld or reassessed, including for any replacement vendor.
Contact Us
If you are interested in participating or would like to find out more, please reach out to us:
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA)
Strategy & Planning / Emerging Technologies
Email: qsafe-kickstarter@csa.gov.sg
This information pack is intended for use case organisations participating in the Quantum-Safe Kickstarter Grant. Details are subject to change.