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The new hubs, which are being supported by a £160 million investment, were announced today by Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle. He said: 'We want to see a future where cutting-edge science improves everyday lives. That is the vision behind our investment in these new quantum technology hubs, by supporting the deployment of technology that will mean faster diagnoses for diseases, critical infrastructure safe from hostile threats, and cleaner energy for us all.'
The Hub for Quantum Computing via Integrated and Interconnected Implementations (QCI3) is led by the University of Oxford. Within the hub, researchers will work closely with industry partners to identify and develop real-world applications of quantum computing, including focusing on design for new materials, chemicals, fluid simulation techniques, and machine learning. For example, the hub will work on the development of quantum machine learning protocols which are key to the development of quantum neural networks with applications in areas such as fraud detection.
The work will involve over 50 co-investigators with expertise across many different aspects of quantum computing, based at 18 institutions throughout the UK. The Hub will also engage with around 30 industry partners, who have already pledged support through £9.9M funding.
Oxford also has a strong involvement in the other four newly-launched quantum hubs. Professor Dame Molly Stevens (Kavli Insitute for Nanoscience Discovery, Department of Engineering Science and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford) will be Deputy Director of the Q-BIOMED hub led by UCL and Cambridge which aims to use quantum technologies to transform early disease diagnosis. This could include quantum-enhanced blood tests to diagnose infectious diseases and cancer quickly and cheaply using portable instruments, saving time and reducing costs to the NHS.
Professor Dame Molly Stevens said: ‘We are excited to take our ultrasensitive biosensing work to the next stage by utilising quantum technologies in the UK's first Quantum Research Hub dedicated to health. Our multidisciplinary consortium will tackle important challenges in disease diagnosis to enable better patient outcomes across a range of diseases.’
Read the full story on the University of Oxford website.