Funding and procurement to target UK quantum innovation

The UK government has committed to investing £1bn over the next four years to enable the country to win the race to deliver quantum computing at scale.

The funding is made up of over £500m dedicated to helping quantum computing companies scale and develop uses for the technology in areas such as pharmaceuticals, financial services and energy. Over £400m of the overall funding is targeted to support breakthroughs in sensing and navigation, and the skills and infrastructure needed to bring these technologies to market. Dedicated funding of £125m has been set aside for quantum networking and £205m for quantum sensing and navigation.

Technology secretary Liz Kendall said the government will also roll out a first-of-its-kind procurement programme, called ProQure:Scaling UK Quantum Computing, where companies will be invited to table proposals to partner with the government to deliver what she described as “state-of-the-art prototypes for evaluation”.

Through the procurement programme, the government aims to identify the most promising companies, which will then be invited to deliver larger-scale machines for use by scientists, researchers, the public sector and businesses, as part of the UK’s national computing infrastructure.

As part of its package of funding, the government said it will also provide an extra £13.8m to support the UK’s five National Quantum Research Hubs delivered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
 
There is also support for the Quantum Software Lab, based in Edinburgh, which aims to accelerate the discovery of new applications for quantum computers in sectors such as financial services, life sciences and advanced manufacturing. An additional £90m has been allocated to fund quantum infrastructure and meet the scaling needs of industry along with £20m in skills and commercialisation programmes.

Charlotte Deane, UKRI’s senior responsible owner for quantum, said: “Today’s announcement signals a shift in pace towards turning research into commercial deployment that delivers meaningful benefits for people across the country. “It reflects years of sustained government and UKRI investment in the UK’s quantum research base and the nurturing of exceptional talent, skills and partnerships that have made this moment possible.”

The funding announcement comes as IonQ and the University of Cambridge tie up to establish a Quantum Innovation Centre. John Aston, pro-vice-chancellor for research at the University of Cambridge, said this collaboration represents a strong example of how the UK can translate world-leading science into commercial capability.

“By bringing IonQ’s next-generation quantum systems and cloud platform together with Cambridge’s research expertise, the centre will accelerate innovation across computing, networking, sensing and cyber security, while helping train the next generation of quantum scientists and engineers.

“Partnerships of this kind, combining global technology leaders with Britain’s world-class universities, are exactly how the UK ensures quantum technologies move from the laboratory into real-world use,” he added.

BT and HSBC are among the businesses supporting quantum computing in the UK. Gabriela Styf Sjöman, managing director of research and commercialisation at BT Group, said: “Quantum technologies will transform science, industry and society – and this investment puts the UK firmly at the forefront.”

HSBC is among the financial institutes looking at how to secure financial transactions as quantum computing evolves into commercially viable products capable of cracking strong encryption.

“Quantum computing will also reshape how we think about cyber security, making it vital that we invest now in quantum-safe approaches,” said Philip Intallura, HSBC Group’s head of quantum technologies. “It’s encouraging to see the UK government backing the skills, research and scale-up needed to turn world-class science into deployable capability and long-term economic growth.”