Quantum Showcase 2024

NPL’s world-leading expertise and cutting-edge facilities are critical to ensuring end-users, system integrators and investors can have confidence in new products and services based on quantum technologies. Through our work we can support development and validate progress in new product development, as well as helping companies focus on the most productive avenues for research and development. This has real world impact, helping companies secure funding, move quickly through Technology Readiness Levels, protect intellectual property, and reach markets earlier.

The NPL Quantum Programme

The NPL Quantum Programme supports UK industry’s need for independent test and evaluation, standards and measurement to deliver new quantum technologies. NPL is a partner in the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme (NQTP) and at this year’s Quantum Showcase we will be presenting and demonstrating the exciting capability being developed. As well as profiling the resources available to industry and partners to support innovation, overcome measurement challenges and accelerate the commercialisation of quantum technologies.

Test and evaluation facilities

We are investing in new facilities to provide unique test and evaluation capabilities for the quantum development community. Test and evaluation capability is available to support the development of quantum technologies including quantum computing, quantum communications, quantum sensors and quantum materials. A major facility for the evaluation of timing technologies will be housed in the newly constructed Advanced Quantum Metrology Laboratories (AQML) at NPL where there is a requirement for proximity to UK national standards to enable the highest levels of accuracy.  Other facilities will be established with partners around the UK.

Development of measurement, test, validation methods and techniques

We develop new methods and techniques for the characterisation of quantum technologies including for quantum computing software. The methods and guidance will be developed as a result of research activities within NPL. Following a similar approach for new technologies that has been implemented successfully for quantum communications. Where NPL research contributed strongly to the creation of a standard guide for the characterisation of components for QKD systems. The role of this best practice testing and evaluation guidance is to provide consistency, and therefore confidence, in the performance of quantum technologies. 

Industry partnerships

We work closely with many companies in the UK quantum community. NPL is a partner in many Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) quantum projects, providing the test and evaluation capability needed by industry to accelerate the development of new products and services. 

We offer a range of support for industry, including our Measurement for Quantum (M4Q) programme and our range of capabilities

Academic partnerships

We are involved in projects with every quantum technology hub, many of the hub partner universities and many other research partners in the UK and beyond. Some key activities were explicitly mentioned in the hub proposals for NPL to deliver on timing technologies, quantum communications and superconducting quantum computing.  As part of the NPL programme, further exploratory projects have been undertaken aligned with the objectives of all the hubs. These include many additional projects with the QCS hub and photonic projects with Quantic. NPL is also now a partner within a university consortium in three projects in the programme Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics. NPL looks forward to working with our partners on the IQN and QCI3 hubs launching this year

Standards

To maintain national leadership in quantum technologies, NPL represents the UK in many international standards development organisations, through an extensive international network with other National Measurement Institutes and standards committees. A new standards committee has recently been formed by BSI, with NPL support. This panel will keep the UK community informed of activity around the world and will give UK industry a forum to prioritise UK focus on new standards. NPL also reports on quantum standards into wider UK government

Skills and training

If the UK is to exploit its leadership position in quantum technology, practical skills on testing and evaluation will be as important as scientific research skills to ensure the successful commercialisation of these technologies. Our quantum programme helps to address the areas of need identified, where the UK needs a larger and more diverse workforce to deliver economic success. We provide a range of test and evaluation focused training for scientists, technicians and engineers across a wide spectrum of roles. We also support skills development by hosting postgraduates, secondments and apprentices with the aim of raising the quantum skill level in the UK

Contact our quantum team