The University of Bristol this week revealed plans to take quantum research from the lab into the commercial world by launching the world’s first centre of its kind.
The £43m centre will harness the enormous power of the quantum world – the behaviour of matter and energy on the atomic and subatomic level – paving the way for a revolution that makes technology faster, smaller, more secure and, ultimately, more useful for a wide variety of applications. 
The Quantum Technologies Innovation Centre (QTIC) will also position Bristol and the UK as a global leader in the fast-developing field – according to government estimates quantum technology will create an industry worth £1bn to the UK economy in the next 10 years, boosting British business and making a real difference to our everyday lives.
More than 200 researchers from the university will work at the centre in partnership with companies such as aerospace giant Airbus to develop the prototypes of tomorrow and play a major role in establishing new quantum businesses.
The centre will also provide affordable specialist incubation facilities for businesses harnessing the quantum advantage to create new products and services.
It will enable the design, development and prototyping of quantum devices for secure communications, new sensors, simulators and ultra-powerful computers.
These new technologies will impact upon society and all major market sectors, including defence, finance, aerospace, energy and information and communications technology (ICT) in ways experts say cannot yet be predicted.
Airbus, which has its main wing design and engineering centre at Filton, is one of QTIC’s leading industrial partners. It will look to develop applications in the area of satellite communications secured with quantum physics, to use ultra-powerful quantum computing and to adopt sensing beyond the precision of today’s technology.
The university anticipates that the centre will help create 9,000 jobs and generate almost £300m for the economy in its first 10 years.
The university’s Quantum Information Institute is already working on a new generation of machines that exploit quantum physics to radically transform our lives, society and economy. These include:
Quantum secure communication systems for individuals, corporations and government.
Precision at the quantum limit for sensors used in environmental monitoring, biomedical applications and security.
Quantum simulators to design new materials, pharmaceuticals and clean energy devices.
Ultra-powerful quantum computers to tackle challenges in big data and machine learning.
The full-scale facility will open in 2021. Once complete, it will include a mixture of specialist labs, incubation facilities, office space, meeting rooms and conference facilities to co-locate industrial engineers and entrepreneurs with university researchers.
It will also boast a talent academy to support the training of apprentice technicians through to PhD qualified quantum engineers and entrepreneurs; an enterprise hub allowing for start-up and early incubation of new businesses; access to a global network of quantum inspired engineers, scientist, venture capital, industrialist and entrepreneurs; and affordable access to outsourced semi-conductor chip fabrication.
QTIC programme manager Mustafa Rampuri said: “QTIC is the world’s first dedicated open access innovation centre facility for developing a broad spectrum of quantum technologies. It provides pay-as-you-go incubator labs and office space, access to state of the art equipment, supported by experts in a range of business, technology and manufacturing areas.
“It’s an ideal time to take these technologies out of the lab and engineer them into commercial products and services, ensuring that the UK and Bristol region is the epicentre of a global quantum revolution.
“The opportunities are vast and very exciting. Our aim is for the facility to be an internationally recognised centre for the engineering and commercialisation of practical integrated quantum technologies, enabling companies from any sector to co-create new products and exploit the quantum advantage.”
Airbus R&T co-operation manager Paolo Bianco added: “We are looking forward to working with QTIC and the University of Bristol on quantum topics to support and establish a supply chain for these technologies, essential for our future ability to bring quantum enhanced platforms to market.
“QTIC’s work with the SME community aligns perfectly with Airbus’ aspiration to work with a variety of partners to development such technologies. Our aim is to eventually adopt these in the Airbus portfolio to generate new products and supply customers with leading edge capabilities which grows and future proofs our business.”
University of Bristol vice-chancellor and president Prof Hugh Brady said the centre embodied its vision for its new campus – “a place where we will be working with partners, large and small, to co-create new technologies and bring exciting new ideas to fruition, while building a talent pipeline of graduates who embrace social responsibility as well as opportunity,” he said.
“The opportunities presented by quantum technology are endless, with the potential to bring far-reaching benefits to society. With Bristol recently being named as the UK’s smartest city, I cannot think of a better city to lead the way in this exciting field of research and discovery.”
The QTIC has been funded by £15m from the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), £21m from industrial partners and £7m from the university. It will form a key part of the university’s new £300m enterprise campus to be built in the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone next to Temple Meads railway station.
It will sit alongside research and teaching in the fields of data analytics, cybersecurity, communications and networks, digital health, smart cities, transport, robotics and autonomous systems, and creative digital technologies.
