Chris McDonald
Minister of State for Science, Innovation and Investment
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Photo: Laurie Noble, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Active Mission
Quantum Mission 3: Quantum sensing in the NHS
A government goal that by 2030 every NHS Trust will benefit from quantum sensing-enabled solutions.
All five missions, with their official goals, related hubs and projects, are on one page: UK Quantum Mission 3 on the missions page.
Project data last updated 11 October 2026
About this project
Mission 3 is one of the five quantum missions published with the National Quantum Strategy in 2023. It says that by 2030 every NHS Trust will benefit from quantum sensing-enabled solutions, helping people with chronic illness live healthier, longer lives through early diagnosis and treatment.
Researchers at the Q-BIOMED hub, led by University College London, are exploring wearable brain scanners for epilepsy. In March 2026 the government announced £205 million for quantum sensing and navigation.
Who leads it
Lead organisation
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Government · London
The government department behind the National Quantum Strategy, its five missions and the £2bn quantum package of March 2026, including ProQure.
Funders
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Government · London
In the news
Quantum Zeitgeist articles naming the lead organisation or partners. They may not be about this project.
Sir Peter Knight, The Physicist Who Helped Build Britain’s Quantum Programme, read on 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
The UK Quantum Programme Risks Getting Lost In The Noise Of The DSIT Reshuffle, read on Quantum Zeitgeist
DSIT was abolished on 21 July and the statement announcing it never mentions quantum. The funded delivery bodies are insulated, but the Office for Quantum and its line to the prime minister are not, and that is how a national programme decoheres.
Image © Quantum Zeitgeist
Will The UK’s New Prime Minister Sink The UK’s Quantum Industry?, read on Quantum Zeitgeist
The incoming prime minister has reportedly asked officials to draw up plans to abolish DSIT. Here is how that decision could play out for the UK quantum sector, from quiet climbdown to compound failure.
Image © Quantum Zeitgeist
£10M Network Launched to Coordinate UK Quantum Technology Standards, read on Quantum Zeitgeist
A £10m network launch will coordinate UK quantum technology standards, boosting British trade & leadership.
Image © Quantum Zeitgeist
Sources
Related projects
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UK Quantum Biomedical Sensing Research Hub
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Themes: Sensing, Biomedical and health, Imaging
- Active Hub · 2024 to 2029
UK Quantum Technology Hub in Sensing, Imaging and Timing
QuSIT
A national research hub for quantum sensing, imaging and timing, led by the University of Birmingham.
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- Active Centre · 2021 onwards
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A University of Glasgow centre that brings together the university's quantum research and development.
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