The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has revealed it will fund £600,000 to the University of Glasgow to host the Quantum Technologies ARC, a collaborative research alliance to further quantum capabilities.
The Quantum Technologies ARC will develop multi-disciplinary, cross-sector teams to advance the UK’s quantum sector, accelerate major research grants, and cultivate lucrative foreign investment.
SFC’s ARC programme aims to address the most important issues facing the Scottish Government and governments worldwide.
The Quantum Technologies project is the latest ARC initiative, joining the recently announced Scottish Brain Health ARC and the Scottish Alliance for Food at the University of Glasgow and an Arc on Energy led by the University of St Andrews.
The £600,000 funding will support the Quantum Technologies ARC for four years, which will be led by researchers from the University’s School of Physics & Astronomy and James Watt School of Engineering.
Dr Ashley Lyons and Dr Sam Bayliss, co-leads of the Quantum Technologies ARC, commented: “We are seeing rapid and remarkable developments in using quantum-mechanical features of the world to enable practical technologies, with Scotland being a key player in this progress.
“The key to realising the potential benefits of such technologies is a holistic approach which creates a dialogue between market-driven challenges; cutting-edge research – including in subjects such as the arts, humanities, and social sciences – and wider society.
“Thanks to this ARC, we are in a special position to be able to achieve this and create a new, interdisciplinary hub for quantum technologies development in Scotland.”
Making Scotland the UK’s quantum hub
Advances in quantum technology will revolutionise a range of industries, including medical diagnostics, clean energy, computing, and communications, with Scotland playing a pivotal role.
Scotland is essential in the UK’s roadmap to becoming a leader in quantum technology globally, with the University of Glasgow being one of the UK’s four quantum technology hubs.
Scotland is also home to the only UK Fraunhofer Centre and the University of Glasgow’s James Watt Nanofabrication Centre – vital aspects of the £1bn UK Quantum programme.
How will the Quantum Technologies ARC advance the sector?
The Quantum Technologies ARC will help boost Scotland’s skills base in quantum science and technology, setting the country up for a prosperous future.
The ARC will deepen collaboration between research centres and industrial partners and will help develop real-world applications.
It will investigate the societal and economic pros and cons of quantum technologies while reducing the barriers that inhibit quantum research from being converted into technologies.
This interdisciplinary approach will optimise quantum research and development to benefit the Scottish economy.
Helen Cross, SFC’s Director of Research and Innovation, concluded: “It’s great to be able to confirm another collaborative award in our ARCs programme.
“Creating a research challenge for quantum technologies will accelerate Scottish research collaboration in this area and allow us to benefit from the potential of quantum technologies more fully and more quickly.
“An important aspect of the multi-disciplinary approach is that the cross-university network will consider the ethical and societal impact of the technology as well as the science itself.”
