New facility opens to accelerate the commercialisation of quantum technologies
28 Dec 2015 by Evoluted New Media
New facility – Quantum Metrology Institute (QMI) – aiming to help the development of new quantum technologies in the UK reach the market more quickly has opened.
New facility – Quantum Metrology Institute (QMI) – aiming to help the development of new quantum technologies in the UK reach the market more quickly has opened.
The institute – based at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington – will undertake research in quantum technologies and develop new measurement techniques and fundamental standards. It will build a national capability for the testing and validation of these technologies to secure the confidence and investment necessary to commercialise new products.
Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson said: “From faster communications to improved cancer detection and navigation, quantum technologies will deliver game-changing applications that will improve lives and create new businesses. With our £4 million investment, this new Quantum Metrology Institute at the National Physical Laboratory will provide world-class measurement expertise to validate these new technologies for market and help secure the UK’s position as a world leader in this field.”
The institute is part of the National Quantum Technologies Programme and will aim to get quantum technologies out of laboratories and into the marketplace, through four university-led hubs. It will allow the hubs and industry partners involved in the programme to share ideas and collaborate, speeding up development. The QMI will also host a large number of PhD studentships in quantum technologies, building skills for the next generation of quantum scientists.
Professor Sir Peter Knight, Chair of QMI, said: “Because quantum technologies are based on very advanced and extraordinary physics, validation is crucial to getting investors and industry on board to accelerate the commercialisation of them. As the UK’s home of measurement, with over one hundred years’ experience in helping new technologies make the jump from lab to market, NPL is the best place for this testing and validation to be conducted to ensure that the UK can start benefitting from amazing new technologies as soon as possible.”
