The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has announced £100m in funding to establish five new quantum research hubs aimed at advancing significant advancements in healthcare, cybersecurity, and transport. The hubs themselves will be delivered by the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). £100m in funding for the new centres will come from the EPSRC, the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Research Council, the UKRI Medical Research Council, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research, with another £54m in contributions and in-kind contributions from outside partners.
“We want to see a future where cutting-edge science improves everyday lives,” said the DSIT secretary Peter Kyle. “That is the vision behind our investment in these new quantum technology hubs, by supporting the deployment of technology that will mean faster diagnoses for diseases, critical infrastructure safe from hostile threats and cleaner energy for us all. This isn’t just about research; it’s about putting that research to work. These hubs will bridge the gap between brilliant ideas and practical solutions.”
New UK quantum funding to support variety of cutting-edge applications
The five hubs will specialise in fields as varied as quantum-powered biomedical sensing, imaging, timing and quantum computing and will be run from higher education institutes in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Oxford and London. In time, the UK government said, the funding announced today should help deliver everything from secure communication networks and faster medical scanners to next-generation navigation systems.
The government’s initiative is part of a strategy to stimulate economic growth by creating technologies that can be commercialised and exported. The move also supports the development of a more efficient National Health Service (NHS) and enhances cybersecurity to ensure public safety.
According to the DSIT, one of the hubs will focus on developing quantum technologies for resilient position, navigation, and timing systems for the country’s security and critical infrastructure. The technology will also provide better accuracy and reliability in sectors such as aerospace, autonomous vehicles, finance, maritime, and agriculture. That same quantum hub will also work on creating smaller, lighter quantum devices for use in transportation systems, offering alternatives to GPS and improving vehicle navigation.
Medical and navigational innovations expected
The proposed hubs are also expected to contribute to advancements in medical technologies, including quantum-enhanced blood tests and faster MRI scanners that could, potentially, facilitate the earlier detection of diseases such as cancer.
“The ultimate beneficiaries of earlier diagnosis will be patients through faster access to life-saving treatment, and the NHS through more cost-effective models of care,” said Professor Rachel McKendry, Co-Director of the Q-BIOMED Hub based at University College London and Cambridge University. “We also hope to grow an innovation ecosystem working with industry and international networks of excellence with leading researchers worldwide.”
For national security, the hubs will explore technologies that could improve aircraft positioning systems resistant to GPS jamming and enable submarines to operate without satellite reliance. Moreover, research into a ‘quantum internet’ is expected to provide secure communication networks, protecting sensitive data and infrastructure.
The announcement comes amid accelerated investment by national governments into quantum computing applications, startups and educational courses. Private investment in these areas, however, appears to be lagging, with funding from venture capital firms dropping by 50% in 2023.
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