£100m boost for new quantum research hubs

From life-saving blood tests to resilient security, the new UK Government is investing in five dedicated technology hubs in UK universities.

Over £100m has been pledged to set up the radical new research centres at leading UK universities. The investment will be located in a series of hubs based across the UK, Sites include Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Oxford, and London.

The investment is designed to support the delivery of ‘the government’s missions to rebuild Britain’.

The announcement was covered by a wide number of media outlets including The Guardian, with the expectation that these hubs will ‘develop practical use of quantum technology in areas like medical scanners, secure communication networks, and next-generation positioning systems’.

A quintet of quantum excellence

Details of the partnerships include:-

• The UK Quantum Biomedical Sensing Research Hub

Located at University College London and the University of Cambridge, this hub will explore 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

Located at the University of Birmingham, this hub 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

Located within Heriot-Watt University, the hub plans to deliver the technologies for a future UK-wide ‘quantum internet’, enabling future-proof cybersecurity and powerful distributed quantum computing.

• Quantum Computing via Integrated and Interconnected Implementations 

The hub within the University of Oxford intends to develop 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

This final hub is part of University of Glasgow. Its task is to create quantum-based positioning and navigation systems for critical infrastructure, autonomous vehicles, and improved indoor and underwater navigation.

Supported through established research infrastructure

The hubs will be delivered by the UKRI Engineering 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.

Sign up to our subscriber list to receive regular updates regarding research studentships and sources of study funding