No dedicated funding for next wave of quantum research

Science minister Sam Gyimah has said there is no set budget for the next phase of the government’s flagship quantum technologies research programme.

At the hearing of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee on quantum technologies, held on 12 September, Gyimah faced pressure from MPs to clarify whether the total budget for the second phase of the programme would live up to the expectations of the sector. 

Researchers in academia and industry had previously called for a £338-million budget for the next five years of the government’s National Quantum Technologies Programme, which aims to translate academic work on quantum technologies into products and services. However, Gyimah told MPs that the amount spent would depend on applications received for another funding scheme; the third wave of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF).