Industry-led effort aims to develop four quantum instruments, each underpinned by photonics technology, within two years. 

UniKLasers, Optocap, Teledyne e2v, and Bay Photonics are among the UK-based photonics companies set to benefit from ￡20 million in funding to develop new quantum technologies. 

With money from the UK’s industrial strategy challenge effort, the Quantum Technologies Pioneer Fund panel selected four industry-led projects, each with the aim of delivering a prototype system within two years. 

They include two projects to develop new quantum-encrypted optical communications hardware, one working on a quantum gravity sensor to detect underground objects, and another to build a compact cesium atomic clock. 

Announcing the funding at last week’s Quantum Technologies Showcase event in London, Nick Chism, director general of enterprise within the UK government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), said that the selections were a direct response to the earlier Blackett Review, which recommended greater industry involvement and matched private-sector investment in quantum technology development. 

At the same event Roger McKinlay, “challenge director” for quantum technologies within the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding body, outlined the four projects to receive funding by saying that the aim was to “put the working prototypes in the hands of the user”. 

(From: http://optics.org/news/9/11/16)