Commercialising Quantum in the UK – Do we have what we need to develop a world leading Quantum industry?

The coming decades will be driven by the commercialisation of Quantum research.

Quantum driven technologies, solutions, products and services are expected to bring profound changes to the technology sector itself and will be transformational to areas such as national security, finance, telecommunications, construction and civil engineering.   

Quantum Computing alone will will also impact the UK’s long term digital and economic future and there is expected to be a race by countries for Quantum commercialisation. 

Efforts by Government, industry and academia have ensured the UK is in a favourable position to fully harness the social and economic benefits of Quantum in coming years. In June 2020, the UK Government announced a £70 Million funding competition focused on the development of commercial Quantum products and services - a move from the focus being on scientific Quantum discoveries to the development of Quantum products and services that can be deployed and used by UK public and private sector organisations.  

In November 2020 the National Quantum Technologies Programme (NQTP) announced its strategic intent to focus on developing Quantum technology applications through commercialisation and industrialisation, making it clear that its work is shifting to focus on moving the UK towards the  real world application of Quantum technologies.  

Given this new direction of travel towards the commercialisation and industrialisation of Quantum in the UK, techUK believes now is the time to consider whether the UK is ready, willing and able to realise the full potential of Quantum technologies. 

In 2021, techUK will bring together the technology sector, key stakeholders, policy makers and the wider business community to discuss whether we have in place what is needed to drive forward the commercialisation of Quantum technologies; create a thriving Quantum market for new products and services; and support the development of a world leading Quantum industry. 

Building on techUK’s 2019 Quantum Future campaign, which explored the current state of the UK’s Quantum industry and issues of importance for Quantum development, the work in 2021 will explore in more depth and detail the key factors for success and possible barriers that may need to be overcome to drive forward with the commercialisation of Quantum technologies in the UK. Through industry driven events, roundtables, podcasts and webinars techUK will explore issues, and uncover areas, that that will be key to the development and commercialisation of Quantum technologies, including:

• Driving the business case for the development of Quantum products and services within the UK tech sector
• How to create a world leading UK market for Quantum products and services 
• Attracting and retaining investment in the UK’s Quantum industry  
• Preventing the development of a Quantum skills deficit
• Overcoming cyber security and encryption concerns related to Quantum technologies.

To kick off techUK’s work on Quantum Commercialisation, we are bringing together leading voices in UK Quantum on a webinar to discuss the road to Quantum commercialsation, where the UK is on that journey and how we get this right for the UK. If you would like to attend this virtual session on 24 March please do not hesitate to reach out

Laura Foster

Associate Director - Technology and Innovation, techUK

Laura is techUK’s Associate Director for Technology and Innovation.

She supports the application and expansion of emerging technologies, including Quantum Computing, High-Performance Computing, AR/VR/XR and Edge technologies, across the UK. As part of this, she works alongside techUK members and UK Government to champion long-term and sustainable innovation policy that will ensure the UK is a pioneer in science and technology

Before joining techUK, Laura worked internationally as a conference researcher and producer covering enterprise adoption of emerging technologies. This included being part of the strategic team at London Tech Week.

Laura has a degree in History (BA Hons) from Durham University, focussing on regional social history. Outside of work she loves reading, travelling and supporting rugby team St. Helens, where she is from.

Email:

[email protected]

LinkedIn:

www.linkedin.com/in/lauraalicefoster

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Sue Daley

Director, Technology and Innovation

Sue leads techUK's Technology and Innovation work.

This includes work programmes on cloud, data protection, data analytics, AI, digital ethics, Digital Identity and Internet of Things as well as emerging and transformative technologies and innovation policy. She has been recognised as one of the most influential people in UK tech by Computer Weekly's UKtech50 Longlist and in 2021 was inducted into the Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK Tech Hall of Fame. A key influencer in driving forward the data agenda in the UK Sue is co-chair of the UK government's National Data Strategy Forum. As well as being recognised in the UK's Big Data 100 and the Global Top 100 Data Visionaries for 2020 Sue has also been shortlisted for the Milton Keynes Women Leaders Awards and was a judge for the Loebner Prize in AI. In addition to being a regular industry speaker on issues including AI ethics, data protection and cyber security, Sue was recently a judge for the UK Tech 50 and is a regular judge of the annual UK Cloud Awards.

Prior to joining techUK in January 2015 Sue was responsible for Symantec's Government Relations in the UK and Ireland. She has spoken at events including the UK-China Internet Forum in Beijing, UN IGF and European RSA on issues ranging from data usage and privacy, cloud computing and online child safety. Before joining Symantec, Sue was senior policy advisor at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Sue has an BA degree on History and American Studies from Leeds University and a Masters Degree on International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Birmingham. Sue is a keen sportswoman and in 2016 achieved a lifelong ambition to swim the English Channel.

Email:

[email protected]

Phone:

020 7331 2055

Twitter:

@ChannelSwimSue,@ChannelSwimSue

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