The UK government announced it will invest £106 million for five hubs to develop the use of quantum technology in medical scanners, secure communication networks and next-gen positioning systems. The hubs, which will work with industry partners, will be based at universities in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Oxford and London:
- The UK Quantum Biomedical Sensing Research Hub (University College London and University of Cambridge): Explores 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.
- UK Quantum Technology Hub in Sensing, Imaging and Timing (University of Birmingham): Focuses on the development of quantum sensing for practical applications – brain scanners for dementia, cancer diagnostics, and advanced security and infrastructure monitoring.
- Integrated Quantum Networks Quantum Technology Hub (Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh): Aims to deliver the technologies for a future UK-wide ‘quantum internet’, enabling future-proof cybersecurity and powerful distributed quantum computing.
- Hub for Quantum Computing via Integrated and Interconnected Implementations (University of Oxford): Develops technologies for building quantum computers, advancing UK capabilities across hardware and software and targeting applications in a wide range of industry sectors.
- The UK Hub for Quantum Enabled Position, Navigation and Timing (University of Glasgow): Creates quantum-based positioning and navigation systems for critical infrastructure, autonomous vehicles, and improved indoor and underwater navigation.
The plan was announced by Science Secretary Peter Kyle at the University of Glasgow, where he said the hubs “will bring researchers and businesses together to use their scientific expertise and talent alongside the commercial know-how and resources to develop groundbreaking quantum technologies that will directly impact people’s lives in areas like healthcare, security, and clean energy.”
The hubs will be delivered by the UK Research and Innovation Engineering organization and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), with a £106 million investment from EPSRC, the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Research Council, UKRI Medical Research Council, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
