"Ultracold atoms in optical lattices hold the potential as ideal testbeds for many condensed matter models such as those related to high-Tc-superconductivity. Due to their high degree of purity and regularity, they could also be a candidate for a scalable quantum computation architecture. So far, however, it has not been possible to address individual sites of optical lattices with a sufficiently tight spacing to allow for a substantial nearest neighbour interaction through tunnelling. We propose to implement this crucial feature using a specially designed lens system with a resolution smaller than the lattice spacing. With this it will be possible to observe and manipulate density, spin structure, and correlations at the scale of a lattice site. We furthermore plan to spatially resolve and to address individual lattice sites in a scalable “quantum register” with 50-100 of qubits in one dimension and later of several thousands in two dimensions. Quantum gates and entanglement between neighbouring atoms can be obtained by collisions in a spin-dependent lattice. The proposed experiment goes far beyond the current state of the art in this field and can only be achieved in a cutting edge research environment. The group in Mainz has emerged as a European and world wide contact point in the field and with the recent addition of Dr. Kuhr, who has extensive experience in the detection of single atoms in dipole traps, the group holds this unique experience. My personal research skills and abilities in the field of quantum information processing nicely complement the experience of the Mainz group, and together we hope to elevate the experiments with optical lattices to the next level and put Europe in the forefront of innovation in a field, which could prove industrially viable within the next decades."