A decade of UK investment in quantum technologies has created more than 2,000 highly skilled jobs, launched 74 spinout companies and attracted an estimated £482 million in private investment, according to a new study published by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
The report assesses the impact of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council’s (EPSRC) £300 million investment in quantum research hubs, doctoral training and skills programmes between 2014 and 2024.
The public body said the programme helped establish the UK as one of the world’s leading quantum research nations by combining long-term funding with a coordinated national strategy for research, skills development and commercialisation.
The study found the programme generated £547 million in monetised benefits against £442 million in costs, with benefits including new jobs, company creation and private investment.
The report highlights several examples of technologies emerging from the programme. Researchers at the University of Birmingham have developed quantum sensors for medical diagnostics and underground infrastructure surveys, while the QuantIC hub at the University of Glasgow is applying quantum imaging to healthcare and environmental monitoring. Meanwhile, the University of York’s Quantum Communications Hub continues to develop more secure communications networks based on quantum technologies.
The research found the programme strengthened the UK’s skills base. Around 87 per cent of research hub respondents said it had helped upskill the UK workforce, while UKRI said many researchers who might otherwise have moved overseas have remained in the country to establish companies, lead research groups and work across industry.
Alongside the report, UKRI announced a series of new investments aimed at supporting the next phase of the UK’s quantum sector.
The EPSRC will provide £12 million to establish a national Quantum Commercialisation Skills Centre. The UK Quantum Super Connector, led by Imperial College London with the universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Glasgow and Oxford, will run the centre to help researchers develop the commercial skills needed to bring quantum technologies to market.
Innovate UK will also invest £35 million in two quantum networking testbed programmes, which will open in February 2027. The initiative will allow businesses and researchers to develop and test new quantum networking technologies.
In addition, UKRI will invest more than £4 million in capital equipment for the UK’s Quantum Technology Research Hubs and a further £600,000 in research infrastructure supporting the development of a future UK quantum internet.
The announcements follow the Chancellor’s recent Budget commitment of £138 million for cross-government quantum sensing procurement, including £30 million from the Ministry of Defence for quantum technologies.
