The UK Government has announced more than £14 million in new funding to accelerate the commercial use of quantum technology across healthcare, defence, transport and energy, in a move it says will help power Britain’s next industrial revolution.
The investment, unveiled on Friday at the National Quantum Technologies Showcase in London, marks a major milestone in the country’s National Quantum Technologies Programme — part of its wider plan to translate cutting-edge science into real-world applications that drive economic growth.
The funding will support 14 projects through Innovate UK’s Quantum Sensing Mission Primer awards, which aim to turn research breakthroughs into market-ready solutions. Among the initiatives being backed are the development of portable and affordable hospital eye scanners, quantum sensors to detect buried structures without excavation, and ultra-sensitive diagnostic tools capable of identifying diseases earlier and more accurately.
Science Minister Lord Vallance said the investment would help cement Britain’s position as a global leader in this field. “Quantum technologies are changing the world – from ultra-sensitive sensors that help diagnose diseases, to computers capable of performing calculations in seconds that would take decades today,” he said. “The UK already has considerable strengths and a vibrant community of companies leading this exciting new sector. Today’s funding and international partnerships will help support that growth right across the country.”
Alongside the new domestic funding, the government announced several international partnerships designed to keep the UK at the forefront of global quantum innovation. These include a Memorandum of Understanding with Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, paving the way for joint research and talent exchanges in quantum computing, and a £300,000 investment to relaunch the Scotland–California quantum and photonics partnership (SU2P), linking leading Scottish universities with Stanford and Caltech.
Further collaboration will come through the creation of the Quantum Centre for Nuclear Defence and Security at AWE, in partnership with the University of Strathclyde, which will apply quantum computing and sensing to critical national defence projects. The government also confirmed the successful deployment of seven operational quantum computing testbeds at the National Quantum Computing Centre, delivered with £30 million of Innovate UK funding. These facilities will enable businesses to test and validate new hardware, helping the UK’s technology ecosystem bring quantum breakthroughs to market faster.
The announcements also highlighted Britain’s expanding role in international quantum research. Later this month, the UK–Singapore quantum satellite SpeQtre will launch to test ultra-secure encrypted communications in space. The UK is also working with Canada on a joint funding call worth almost £3.5 million to develop terrestrial and space-based quantum communications technologies.
Earlier in the week, the government launched the National Metrology Institute – Quantum (NMI-Q) at the National Physical Laboratory, which will act as a global hub for quantum research collaboration between the G7 nations and Australia. The UK will co-chair the initiative with the United States during its inaugural term.
Since the creation of the National Quantum Technologies Programme 11 years ago, the UK has built one of the world’s strongest ecosystems for quantum research and commercialisation. According to government estimates, quantum technologies could contribute £11 billion to the UK economy and create more than 100,000 jobs by 2045.
Jonathan Legh-Smith, Executive Director of UKQuantum, said the latest investments showed how quickly the UK was moving from research to real-world applications. “The achievements of the UK’s National Quantum Technologies Programme over the last decade have positioned us as one of the world’s leading quantum nations,” he said. “The translation of innovation into commercial reality is already well underway.”
The government has invested £121 million in quantum research this financial year alone and committed £670 million through its Industrial Strategy — one of the largest national investments in quantum anywhere in the world.
As the global quantum race intensifies, the UK’s approach — combining research excellence, international collaboration and targeted industrial support — is designed to ensure the country remains at the forefront of a technology expected to redefine medicine, communications, and national security in the decades ahead.
