The Quantum Technology Hubs, part of the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme (NQTP), have been awarded a further £3M from EPSRC to develop a targeted quantum skills and training programme, helping to inspire and train the next generation of quantum experts.
Skills constitute a key part of the UK’s national quantum strategy published in 2023, and the focus of a recent DSIT-led wide consultation exercise (the “Quantum Skills Taskforce”). The five Hubs, which formally started in December 2024, will use the funding to design and implement a coordinated and expert-led skills and training programme over a period of four years. The programme will include an online seminar series, delivered by a diverse range of speakers from industry, charities and NGOs, highlighting the multidisciplinary nature of skills sought after in the sector. The experiences and career pathways of technicians involved in this kind of work will also be represented.
The programme will further include a series of international summer schools in quantum technologies to foster collaborative links with research communities abroad. A first Hubs summer school was held during the second phase of the NQTP, in 2023, and helped create the basis for increased mobility, giving postgraduate researchers an international perspective and contributing to an enhanced talent pipeline for UK academia and industry. That summer school, attended by 60 students, over half of whom were from overseas, was hugely successful. The new summer schools will partly replicate that model through blending traditional technical content with an expansive programme of transferable skills sessions, and contributions from industrial partners.
Entrepreneurial skills training across the Hubs will also be included in the new training programme, helping to equip a cohort of early-career researchers with the essential skills required to identify and develop commercial opportunities, collaborate with industry and interact with investors. This activity will primarily target those early career researchers with an active interest in spinning out technology from the Hubs’ research. In parallel, an entrepreneurial fellowships scheme will be set up to encourage PhD and early career researchers to deploy their scientific knowledge beyond the academic setting. Potential examples of this activity include the creation of near-prototype units to form part of an entrepreneurial venture, short-term placements in national labs or industrial facilities, or involvement in field trials in partnership with industrial end-users.
Quantum City is an initiative designed and launched by the partners of the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme in 2018, and aims to showcase the real-world, everyday impact of quantum technologies within the wider community. The project comprises a newly-launched website, school resources including on career pathways, and participation in a number of established national and regional outreach events such as New Scientist Live and Pint of Science. Quantum City is also an established platform for those studying and working within the Hubs wishing to develop their public engagement skills in terms of communicating scientific research into easy-to-understand, accessible language, a crucial skill for many careers. Part of the new Hubs skills and training funding will be invested in expanding this portfolio of public engagement activities to ensure a more coordinated approach and the involvement of other NQTP stakeholders such as the National Quantum Computing Centre and National Physical Laboratory.
“This funding will support early career researchers, fostering a collaborative network between all five EPSRC Quantum Technology Hubs. By supporting careers, including through international summer schools, we’re paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in quantum technology and ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of this critical field.”
Dr Derek Craig, Deputy Director for Quantum Technologies at EPSRC
“It is fantastic to see both the importance placed on skills within the quantum agenda and the trust placed in the Quantum Hubs to deliver it.”
Professor Miles Padget, Science Co-Director, UK Quantum Technology Research Hub in Sensing, Imaging and Timing
