The UK Hub for Quantum Enabled Position, Navigation and Timing (QEPNT) is one of five hubs that have been launched today (Friday 26 July) in a bid to ensure the UK fully benefits from the potential of quantum technologies.
Quantum technologies harness quantum physics to gain a functionality or performance which is otherwise unattainable, deriving from science which cannot be explained by classical physics such as Newton’s laws of motion or thermodynamics.
QEPNT aims to develop quantum technologies which will be key for national security and critical infrastructure and sectors such as aerospace, connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs), finance, maritime and agriculture.
These include atomic clocks and LiDAR sensors, which use light to measure range, which will be able to provide resilient positioning, navigation and timing.
Smaller, lighter quantum-enabled devices developed at the hub could find new applications in sectors including roads, railways and underground transport, where they could help improve navigation systems by replacing current GPS positioning technologies.
They could also enable improved indoor navigation on mobile devices, and upgrade the positioning systems in submarines, allowing them to operate for months without surfacing to reconnect with satellites.
As part of QEPNT, researchers from Loughborough’s Emergent Photonics Research Centre will focus on developing the next generation of timing devices using micro-lasers known as microcombs, which serve as the ‘counter’ for future portable atomic clocks.
Professor Alessia Pasquazi, Loughborough’s QEPNT lead, said: “This is an exciting chance to bring real change to people, capitalising on the scientific developments of the last 10 years and deliver the first prototypes in critical navigation applications.
“Our just launched Emergent Photonics Research Centre will bring its singular vision on photonics complexity to support resilience of our laser devices.”
QEPNT is headed by the University of Glasgow and, in addition to Loughborough, is supported by researchers from Imperial College London and the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Strathclyde, Heriot-Watt, Queen’s University Belfast and Warwick.
The other hubs launched are: the UK Quantum Biomedical Sensing Research Hub, the UK Quantum Technology Hub in Sensing, Imaging and Timing, the Integrated Quantum Networks Quantum Technology Research Hub, and the Hub for Quantum Computing via Integrated and Interconnected Implementations.
The five hubs – which were announced by Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle – are being supported by a £160 million investment.
They are being delivered by the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), with a £106 million investment from: EPSRC, the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Research Council (BBSRC), UKRI Medical Research Council (MRC), and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Industry collaboration is a key element to all of the hubs, which leverage significant cash and in-kind contributions from partners worth more than £54 million.
Of the five new quantum hubs, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle said: "We want to see a future where cutting-edge science improves everyday lives.
"That is the vision behind our investment in these new quantum technology hubs, by supporting the deployment of technology that will mean faster diagnoses for diseases, critical infrastructure safe from hostile threats and cleaner energy for us all.
"This isn’t just about research; it’s about putting that research to work.
"These hubs will bridge the gap between brilliant ideas and practical solutions.
"They will not only transform sectors like healthcare and security, but also create a culture of accelerated innovation that helps to grow our economy."
The new hubs continue the work of the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme. Now in its tenth year, the partnership of more than £1 billion between government, academia and industry, fast-tracks quantum knowledge from laboratory to wider society and economic impact.
Information on all five quantum hubs can be found on the UKRI website.
For more on Loughborough University’s Emergent Photonics Research Centre – a new, 600-square-metre, state-of-the-art facility home to a team of researchers focused on advancing ultra-fast nonlinear optics - visit the dedicated webpage or press release.