Bringing the ecosystem together to discuss Britain’s Quantum future
The quantum revolution is upon us, and the nations that lead this transformation will shape the global technology market for decades to come. First-movers also stand to reap huge economic rewards; according to the Boston Consulting Group, as much as 90% of quantum’s value will go to early adopters.
As a result, nations are ramping up quantum strategies and investment. In the East, China is gearing up to leverage its sophisticated manufacturing capabilities for quantum, while in the West, the United States is stirring up a strong appetite among its private VCs to generate the funding that will help it compete for a technological edge in quantum.
This has left Britain - and Europe more broadly - at a critical juncture. Despite world-class universities, pioneering research, and innovative startups across the country, the UK's quantum sector is fragmented. Brilliant minds work in isolation, investors struggle to identify the most promising opportunities, and government initiatives do not yet go far enough in paving a clear path to scaling innovative quantum applications.
The quantum ‘message’ is unclear at present, which creates a unique challenge for journalists, who are struggling to tell Britain’s quantum story. That's why we brought together some of the UK’s leading quantum voices - the architects of Britain's quantum future - to speak with those who are writing about the industry and discuss what it will take for the nation to not only join the quantum race, but lead it.
Our Approach
We believe that when some of the most influential voices in the UK quantum ecosystem, such as Sir Peter Knight, chair of the UK's National Quantum Technology Programme Strategy Advisory Board, and Michael Cuthbert, Director at the UKRI’s National Quantum Computing Centre, can sit alongside venture capitalists, industry executives, exciting startup founders, and leading academics - real change is possible.
We invited them both, alongside Anne Glover, Chief Executive & Co-Founder of Amadeus Capital, Professor Martin Weides, Professor of Quantum Technologies in the James Watt School of Engineering at the University of Glasgow, Matthew Martin, Managing Director of Oxford Instruments NanoScience, and Andrei Dragomir, CEO, Aquark Technologies, to join the conversation.
The Results
We secured interest from a range of esteemed science and technology journalists from The BBC, The Financial Times, Enter Quantum, and The Quantum Insider in the event, who were curious about getting a ‘bigger picture’ view of the state of play for UK quantum.
Our speakers made clear from the outset how urgent taking immediate action is for Britain to successfully capitalise on the quantum opportunity. With other players publishing detailed quantum roadmaps and ramping up investment, our speakers agreed the window is closing, and the discussion resulted in a call for more unified action across the quantum ecosystem.
Attendees walked away with new connections and a shared commitment to building the unified narrative that Britain's quantum sector desperately needs to compete on the global stage.
Zoe Kleinman, BBC Technology Editor, who joined the event, commented via LinkedIn afterwards:
“I’m thankful to the amazing group of experts from the UK quantum sector who patiently sat with me last week and talked to me about all things quantum, specifically from a UK perspective. We have a thriving sector doing some very cool stuff, while facing the same financial/regulatory challenges as the rest of the tech sector.”
From Glasgow and Oxford’s cutting-edge researchers, to London's venture capitalists, and government leaders, Britain has the capacity to innovate at speed - now, it’s about finding the resources to deliver these innovations to market. When brilliant research remains locked in academic papers, investor opportunities go unrecognised, or government policy fails to inspire industry confidence, the real barrier isn't scientific capability, but a communication breakdown.
If stakeholders cannot find ways to tell compelling quantum stories in language that others understand, there is a real threat that Britain's considerable quantum potential may be squandered. Aligning these diverse voices around a shared narrative is essential for transforming Britain's quantum potential into quantum dominance.