A pioneering business incubation programme has been launched at Oxfordshire's Harwell Campus, set up to help quantum technology start-ups succeed in global markets.
The Quantum Business Incubation Centre (QuBIC) is supported by the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) and operated by The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and will help businesses developing innovative products or services that rely on quantum technologies.
From quantum hardware to software and applications, three new quantum computing companies spearheading new technologies have joined QuBIC.
From optimising patient operation lists to new video game technologies, these pioneering businesses are developing revolutionary products and services that will bring economic and societal benefits to the UK.
The first companies to join the QuBIC are:
Applied Quantum Computing, which is developing ways to make healthcare smarter, and deliver financial benefits to the NHS by using a mix of classical and quantum computing to develop solutions to complex problems, such as optimising patient allocation to theatre operating lists.
Finchetto is developing a ground-breaking optical network switch to enable faster, more sustainable computation. This world-first technology is set to boost performance across various sectors, such as data centres, HPC, AI and telecommunications networks.
And OpenQuantum which is revolutionising quantum computing by providing a cutting-edge platform, open-source tools and world-class components and building systems that deliver significant advantages now and in the future. Their innovative approach simplifies the construction of quantum computers and democratises access to quantum computing for a global community of scientists, software engineers, and developers.
Dr Simon Plant, Deputy Director for Innovation at the NQCC, said: “We are pleased to be a partner in the QuBIC program reaffirming our commitment to support the growth of the UK’s quantum computing industry. We aim to help early-stage technology companies achieve their full commercial potential by de-risking the route from proof-of-concept to market for innovative new products and ideas.”
QuBIC will join the campus’ successful scale-up schemes and accelerator spaces, such as the ESA BIC scheme which has an impressive 95% survival rate and has supported over 130 space-related organisations, which collectively have raised over £133m.
The campus also operates a Proof-of-Concept fund to stimulate cross-sector engagement, allowing businesses at Harwell to collaborate and access up to £30,000 of funding, so ideas or innovation in one sector, can lead to breakthroughs in another, for example bringing VR technology and the space sector together, improving remote manipulation of robotic arms for higher precision.
The NQCC is the UK’s national lab for quantum computing, dedicated to delivering quantum computing capabilities for the UK. It sits as part of Harwell’s collection of 15 world-leading national research and technology facilities, and community of over 250 organisations across life sciences, quantum, energy and space.