Funder · Swindon
Most public money for UK quantum research passes through UKRI, with EPSRC heading its quantum technologies theme alongside STFC and Innovate UK. EPSRC delivers the five national quantum research hubs announced in July 2024, part of a £160m package that also drew on BBSRC, MRC, NIHR and industry. UKRI put an initial £93m, through EPSRC and STFC, into the National Quantum Computing Centre at Harwell. In March 2026 it added £20m for the NQCC and Edinburgh's Quantum Software Lab to benchmark quantum computers, £13.8m for the hubs and £12m for a commercialisation skills centre.
UK Research and Innovation is a public funder based in Swindon. In this directory it leads NQTP. It funds 38 projects listed here, including QATCH and ARTEMIS. People profiled here include Charlotte Deane (Executive Chair), Ian Chapman (CEO) and Michele Dougherty (Executive Chair).
Sources: UKRI: Quantum technologies theme · University of Birmingham: New hub as part of £160m investment (July 2024) · GOV.UK: New national quantum laboratory to open up access to quantum computing · UKRI: UK leads the world into the quantum age (March 2026)
NQTP
The UK's national programme for quantum technologies, set up in 2014 as a partnership between government, academia and industry.
Role: Lead, Funder
Themes: Computing, Sensing, Imaging, Timing and navigation, Communications, Networks, Skills and training
QATCH
A four-year programme on quantum software, algorithms and verification, led by the University of Edinburgh's Quantum Software Lab with the NQCC.
Role: Funder
Funding: £20m
Themes: Computing, Software and algorithms
ARTEMIS
A photonic quantum computing testbed built for the National Quantum Computing Centre under its 2024 testbed programme.
Role: Funder
Themes: Computing
Asteroidea
A photonic quantum computing testbed built for the National Quantum Computing Centre under its 2024 testbed programme.
Role: Funder
Themes: Computing
A superconducting quantum computing testbed built for the National Quantum Computing Centre under its 2024 testbed programme.
Role: Funder
Themes: Computing
QCi3
The national research hub for quantum computing, led by the University of Oxford. It works on scalable and networked quantum computers.
Role: Funder
Funding: £21.9m
Themes: Computing, Networks, Software and algorithms
IQN
A national research hub building quantum networks, from local links to satellite connections. Heriot-Watt University leads it.
Role: Funder
Funding: £21.9m
Themes: Networks, Communications
A £30m programme that paid seven companies to build prototype quantum computers, known as testbeds, at the NQCC in Harwell.
Role: Funder
Funding: £30m
Themes: Computing
QUARTET
A trapped-ion quantum computing testbed built for the National Quantum Computing Centre under its 2024 testbed programme.
Role: Funder
Themes: Computing
A silicon spin qubit quantum computing testbed built for the National Quantum Computing Centre under its 2024 testbed programme.
Role: Funder
Themes: Computing
SQALE
A neutral-atom quantum computing testbed built for the National Quantum Computing Centre under its 2024 testbed programme.
Role: Funder
Themes: Computing
A neutral-atom quantum computing testbed built for the National Quantum Computing Centre under its 2024 testbed programme.
Role: Funder
Themes: Computing
QEPNT
A national research hub for quantum position, navigation and timing, led by the University of Glasgow. It aims to reduce reliance on satellite signals such as GPS.
Role: Funder
Funding: £21.9m
Themes: Timing and navigation, Sensing, Defence and security
Q-BIOMED
A national research hub that develops quantum sensors for earlier diagnosis of disease. UCL and the University of Cambridge lead it.
Role: Funder
Funding: £24m
Themes: Sensing, Biomedical and health, Imaging
QuSIT
A national research hub for quantum sensing, imaging and timing, led by the University of Birmingham.
Role: Funder
Funding: £22m
Themes: Sensing, Imaging, Timing and navigation
NQCC
The UK's national laboratory for quantum computing, based at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory on the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire.
Role: Funder
Funding: £93m
Themes: Computing, Software and algorithms, Skills and training
NQTP
The UK's national programme for quantum technologies, set up in 2014 as a partnership between government, academia and industry.
Role: Lead, Funder
Themes: Computing, Sensing, Imaging, Timing and navigation, Communications, Networks, Skills and training
An Innovate UK grant competition to remove barriers to the use of quantum sensing and navigation technology.
Role: Funder
Funding: £14.3m
Themes: Sensing, Timing and navigation
Quantum Missions pilot
An Innovate UK competition that funded industry projects in quantum computing and quantum networks towards the UK quantum missions.
Role: Funder
Themes: Computing, Networks
AutoQT
A Riverlane-led consortium developing automated methods to control and tune large numbers of qubits.
Role: Funder
Themes: Computing, Software and algorithms
A Universal Quantum-led consortium building a trapped-ion quantum computer that can correct its own errors, with Rolls-Royce as end user.
Role: Funder
Funding: £7.5m
Themes: Computing
QuPharma
A SEEQC-led consortium linking a quantum computer with a classical supercomputer to model drug properties.
Role: Funder
Themes: Computing, Biomedical and health
An ORCA-led consortium that designed and demonstrated how a quantum computer could sit inside a data centre alongside classical systems.
Role: Funder
Themes: Computing, Communications, Networks
A sureCore-led consortium designing chip technology that works at the very low temperatures inside quantum computers.
Role: Funder
Funding: £6.5m
Themes: Computing, Materials and components
A BT-led consortium testing free-space quantum key distribution for short and mid-range links, including 5G and connected vehicles.
Role: Funder
Themes: Communications, Networks
DISCOVERY
An M Squared-led consortium that worked on the photonics needed to scale neutral-atom, trapped-ion and optical quantum computers.
Role: Funder
Themes: Computing
An Arqit-led consortium working on UK manufacture of quantum key distribution payloads for satellites.
Role: Funder
Themes: Communications, Networks
NISQ.OS
A Riverlane-led consortium that built Deltaflow.OS, an operating system meant to run the same software on different kinds of quantum hardware.
Role: Funder
Funding: £7.6m
Themes: Computing, Software and algorithms
QT Assemble
A three-year Fraunhofer CAP-led consortium to make quantum technology components smaller, more robust and easier to build.
Role: Funder
Themes: Materials and components, Sensing
A Rigetti UK-led consortium that installed and ran a superconducting quantum computer in the UK and offered it over the cloud.
Role: Funder
Themes: Computing, Software and algorithms
QFoundry
A consortium led by the Compound Semiconductor Centre in Cardiff to set up an open-access foundry for quantum semiconductor components.
Role: Funder
Themes: Materials and components, Communications, Sensing
The phase 2 national hub for quantum communications, led by the University of York. The hub's work ran from 2019 to 2024.
Role: Funder
Funding: £23.5m
Themes: Communications, Networks
NTC
An NPL-led programme to build a network of atomic clocks so that the UK relies less on satellite timing signals.
Role: Funder
Funding: £36m
Themes: Timing and navigation
QuantIC
The phase 2 national hub for quantum imaging, led by the University of Glasgow. Its grant ran from December 2019 to May 2025.
Role: Funder
Funding: £25m
Themes: Imaging, Sensing
QCS
The phase 2 national hub for quantum computing and simulation, led by the University of Oxford. It ran from 2019 to 2024.
Role: Funder
Funding: £27.3m
Themes: Computing, Software and algorithms
The phase 2 national hub for quantum sensors and clocks, led by the University of Birmingham. It ran from 2019 to 2024.
Role: Funder
Funding: £28.6m
Themes: Sensing, Timing and navigation
AQuaSeC
A Toshiba-led consortium that built prototype quantum-safe communication systems. It combined quantum key distribution with quantum-resistant algorithms.
Role: Funder
Themes: Communications, Networks
CQT Challenge
An Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund programme, delivered by Innovate UK, that funded companies to turn quantum research into products.
Role: Funder
Funding: £174m
Themes: Computing, Sensing, Imaging, Communications, Timing and navigation
Gravity Pioneer
An RSK-led consortium that built and tested a cold-atom gravity sensor for surveying what lies underground.
Role: Funder
Funding: £6m
Themes: Sensing
Recent articles from Quantum Zeitgeist that mention UK Research and Innovation.
Professor Brian Cox warns UK physics faces a crisis, citing a “disaster” after the withdrawal of £45 million in funding from the LHCb at CERN.
Image © Quantum Zeitgeist
The theorist who taught British quantum physics to cost itself honestly, and who now chairs the board advising on a national quantum strategy worth billions.
Image © Quantum Zeitgeist
Innovate UK will invest up to £14.3M to advance quantum enabled position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technologies, plus sensing for sectors like healthcare & transport.
Image © Quantum Zeitgeist
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is entrusted with more than £9 billion of public money each year to invest in research and innovation, supporting areas from the arts to engineering. As the largest national R&I investor in Europe, UKRI aims to advance knowledge, improve lives, and drive growth acro
Image © Quantum Zeitgeist
Research, commercial and investment relationships, by year. Partners with a profile here are linked.
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