Dec 13 2013
In his Autumn Statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, outlined how the government will provide £270M of funding over five years to support quantum technologies.
The NPL building at Teddington
George Osborne said:
"Science is a personal priority of mine. That is why we are providing £270 million worth of investment in quantum technology, an area of cutting-edge scientific research that has the potential to deliver huge benefits for the British economy. This government will continue to prioritise the long-term investments that are needed to compete in the global race."
The government is committed to ensuring that the UK remains a world leader in science and research, having announced ring-fenced funding in Spending Round 2010. As part of this continued commitment, £270 million of funding is being provided over five years to support quantum technologies. The funding will focus on turning quantum physics into practical applications. Quantum metrology and sensors is one of four key areas that offer potentially transformative impacts, with the other three being: quantum secure communications; quantum simulators and quantum computers.
£4 million of the funding will go to the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) to provide state-of-the-art equipment for the new Advanced Metrology Laboratory. Quantum metrology will be one of the research areas featured in this new laboratory that is being built at the NPL site in Teddington.
The new facility will house an estimated 20 laboratories, for around 40 scientists, specially designed for high precision measurement science. This unique setting will provide a tightly controlled research environment with stable temperature and humidity levels and minimised interference from vibration (direct and acoustic), and electrical and magnetic field.