The government has announced plans to boost investment in five quantum hubs, in a move universities said could be transformative for the industry.
The hubs, housed in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Oxford, and London, will be backed by more than £100 million of government funding and will work to develop practical applications of quantum technology in areas such as medical scanners, secure communication networks, and next-generation positioning systems.
"This isn’t just about research; it’s about putting that research to work," said secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, Peter Kyle.
"These hubs will bridge the gap between brilliant ideas and practical solutions. They will not only transform sectors like healthcare and security, but also create a culture of accelerated innovation that helps to grow our economy."
The UK Quantum Biomedical Sensing Research Hub at University College London (UCL) and the University of Cambridge will explore how to use quantum sensors for ultra-sensitive disease diagnosis, including rapid blood tests, and biomedical scanners to facilitate earlier diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
The UK Quantum Technology Hub in Sensing, Imaging, and Timing at the University of Birmingham will focus on the development of quantum sensing for brain scanners for dementia, cancer diagnostics, and advanced security and infrastructure monitoring.
Meanwhile, Heriot-Watt University's Integrated Quantum Networks Quantum Technology Hub aims to deliver the technologies for a future UK-wide ‘quantum internet’, enabling future-proof cybersecurity and powerful distributed quantum computing.
"It is an exciting time, seeing the success of the programme so far and the new opportunities and application areas that are emerging, as well as the increasing prominence of materials research in the continued advancement of quantum technology hardware," said Professor Jason Smith, who will be the hub's associate director.
The Hub for Quantum Computing via Integrated and Interconnected Implementations at the University of Oxford is developing technologies for building quantum computers, advancing UK capabilities across hardware and software and targeting applications in a wide range of industry sectors.
"The QCI3 Hub brings together industry, academia and government partners to deliver new applications, ideas and innovations that will advance the field of quantum computing, impacting areas such as materials science, chemistry, finance and logistics," said director Professor Dominic O’Brien.
"The hub will train a new generation of scientists and engineers, providing the critical skills for a UK quantum economy, whilst also developing the commercial skills needed for those looking to play key roles in the UK’s growing quantum industry."
The sweeping investment plans have been welcomed by industry stakeholders as a positive move to driving development of the UK’s quantum ambitions. However, experts caution that there's some way to go before quantum computing hits the mainstream.
Kevin Curran, IEEE senior member and professor of cybersecurity at Ulster university, specifically highlighted the issue of error correction as a key hurdle.
"Predicting a near-term breakthrough in quantum computing is complex due to the interplay of technological advancements and theoretical innovations," he said.
But, he added: "While many experts suggest that practical, scalable quantum computers that consistently outperform classical systems may still be a few years away, there is optimism about achieving specific milestones soon. The next five to 10 years will likely be crucial for witnessing significant advancements in this area."
