Cambridge joins the five-university UK Quantum SuperConnector programme

[Laura_70]

Five of the UK's leading universities are joining forces to turn quantum research into businesses. The Quantum Insider reports that Cambridge has joined Imperial, Bristol, Glasgow and Oxford in the UK Quantum SuperConnector, a programme to close the gap between lab breakthroughs and commercial success

The aim is to build a UK wide network linking founders, investors, early customers and policymakers. Professor Ramana Nanda of Imperial Business School is the director, and Dr Aga Iwasiewicz-Wabnig, director of Cambridge's Maxwell Centre, is co-director

Plans include training on commercialisation, a quantum track in the Maxwell Centre's accelerator, a digital platform for the whole ecosystem, and work on skills for sectors such as health, finance and aerospace. Those sectors are where early quantum customers are most likely to appear

Iwasiewicz-Wabnig said the UK must now build a matched capability to commercialise and deploy emerging quantum technologies. Professor Mete Atatüre, head of the Cavendish Laboratory, said it would help UK quantum innovators supercharge their progress towards commercial deployment

Cambridge points to its spinouts Nu Quantum and Riverlane as examples of what is possible, and the IonQ Quantum Innovation Centre will host the UK's most powerful quantum computer from next year. No funding figure has been given, but the idea of joining up the country's best quantum groups makes a lot of sense

Can the UK turn its quantum research strength into big companies? And which British quantum startup do you think has the brightest future?

University of Cambridge Joins UK Quantum Commercialisation Initiativethequantuminsider.com