The projects receiving funding include the development of a high-tech brain scanner using quantum technology, aiming to improve the diagnosis of disorders such as epilepsy and dementia, and a smart navigation system for trains, using quantum sensors to save costs and enhance safety in tunnels.
These initiatives represent advancements, being developed here in the UK, that could revolutionise healthcare and transport.
Later today, Andrew Griffith, the science minister, will outline how this £45 million funding supports the government’s vision to transform into a quantum-enabled economy by 2033. He will discuss this during a visit to Cerca Magnetics, a University of Nottingham spin-out company supported through the National Quantum Technologies Programme.
Griffith said, “As we steer towards an economy benefitting from quantum, this further £45 million in funding underscores our commitment to support bright UK innovators who are pushing boundaries and seizing the potential of this technology to transform our public services.
“The UK is already one global leader in quantum and to maintain that position this government will continue to invest in this transformational technology propelling the UK into a new era of technological prowess and economic growth.”
The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Technology Missions Fund and the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) have invested £30 million through a competition to develop and deliver world-leading quantum computing hardware prototypes.
Another £15 million from the Quantum Catalyst Fund is set to accelerate use of quantum in government. Both initiatives will enable quantum technologies to be used in real-life applications, both in the private and public sector.
Quantum technologies are one of the government’s five critical technologies as set out in the UK Science and Technology Framework. They offer possible solutions to some of society’s greatest challenges and provide future capabilities that are yet to be explored.