No longer the stuff of science fiction, quantum technologies will be integral to everyday life

It’s been just over a month since we convened over 1400 attendees from 35 different countries for the highly anticipated UK National Quantum Technologies Showcase 2020. This was a first in a number of ways – the first time KTN was a delivery partner and the first time the event was held virtually.

Due to the high level of interest and the sheer number of strides made, it was vital for this community to convene to share their work and their wins.

This annual fixture highlighted the expertise, capabilities and advances of quantum technologies in the UK. Attendees witnessed the real-world impact through the latest announcements by M Squared and Toshiba; got a sneak peek into the latest research via lab tours at University of Sussex and NPL and learned about the Government’s strategic intent to support innovation and funding from Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, Amanda Solloway.

The virtual platform allowed for a more in-depth experience and the best part, it’s still available for you to view! All recorded sessions are now available on Vimeo. There is plenty to choose from and highlights the growing commercialisation and industrialisation of quantum technologies in the UK. With over £1 billion of private and public funding, the translation of quantum technologies into the marketplace, boosting UK business and becoming a part of our everyday life, is as real as ever.

The day officially opened with a welcome from Professor Dame Lynn Gladden, followed by Amanda Solloway MP. Prof Dame Lynn Gladden from EPSRC spotlighted the progress made notably with the launch of the 4 hubs 5-year programme and the £80m ISCF invested industry-led commercialisation projects. Amanda Solloway MP then went on to add, “We’re celebrating more quantum businesses forming and growing than ever before. Wearable skull caps for mapping brain activity developed by UK Quantum Technology Hub Sensors and Timing are now being used in clinical trials to guide epilepsy surgery.”

Attendees then heard from Professor Sir Peter Knight FRS and Professor Alejandro Adem on the winning UK-Canada collaboration projects who will receive funding from the two governments. This marks a world-first bi-lateral collaboration competition and will only strengthen ties between the two countries and push us forward as world leaders.

Our personal pride and joy was the launch of the UK Quantum Technology Landscape Map. The increase of quantum activity in the UK and the push of the national strategy to commercialising quantum sciences and technologies has led to the development of a large number of industrial and research capabilities. The Quantum Technology Innovation Network at KTN gathered these capabilities in the form of an interactive, searchable and open access tool, mapping the existing businesses, publicly funded projects and research groups, the UK national centres and the available postgraduate training programmes.

Watch the entire morning plenary.

Attendees then enjoyed a variety of live sessions with 40 exhibitors, in various formats. There were live round table discussions, panel discussions, break out rooms, live demonstrations and Q&A sessions. Topics ranged from diversity and inclusion to research projects. There was a wealth of knowledge within these sessions and all of it can be accessed via the Hub (if you registered) or via Vimeo.

In the afternoon plenary, four new quantum start-ups discussed their journey over the last year. Chaired by Dr David Cunnah and Dr Anke Davis, AegiQ, Duality Quantum Photonics, ORCA Computing and Quantum Dice shared their wins and challenges as a new start-up within this space. ORCA, in fact, celebrated its first birthday with us on the day.

The day was officially closed by Roger McKinlay, ISCF challenge director for Quantum Technologies. To hear his takeaways from the day, you can re-watch the afternoon plenary here.

As we are now in Phase 2 of the Programme, this year’s showcase emphasised how the research and technology being developed as part of the National Quantum Technologies Programme is having or will have an impact across a range of sectors, whilst demonstrating that commercialisation of quantum technologies in the UK is underway and growing in a range of sectors.

This event is always such a huge success, we already have a date for 2021! Block your calendars for Nov 5 2021, where we will hopefully meet face to face. Stay tuned for more details!

SPONSORS:

Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC) has built the UK’s most advanced quantum computer, the only one commercially available in the country. OQC is supporting the UK’s ambition to lead the international race to commercialise quantum technologies and reshape our world: from enabling life-changing drug discoveries to developing new battery technologies.

The Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult (CSA Catapult) is a Not for Profit organisation headquartered in South Wales. It is focused on accelerating the adoption of compound semiconductors and on bringing applications to life in three technology areas: Power Electronics, RF & Microwave and Photonics. The CSA Catapult exists to help the UK compound semiconductor industry grow as they are integral to achieving the UK government’s 2050 net zero targets and ensuring secure and resilient communications in the digital world.

Watch the highlights reel below!