The UK and Germany have unveiled a new £14 million collaboration package to deepen their partnership in quantum technology, aimed at advancing quantum computing, sensors and shared research standards. The funding boost comes as part of broader science and technology agreements announced during the German President’s state visit to the UK.
Under the agreement, £6 million will go toward a joint quantum R&D funding call scheduled to begin in early 2026. The initiative will be split equally, with each country via its respective agencies Innovate UK and VDI Germany contributing £3 million.
In addition, £8 million has been allocated to support the work of the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics in Glasgow, facilitating the development and commercialization of quantum-enabled photonics and related products.
As part of the deal, the UK’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and Germany’s Physikalisch‑Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on quantum measurement and metrology standards under the broader global NMI-Q initiative. This effort aims to standardize quantum measurements across both countries, supporting interoperability and reliability of quantum technologies.
According to the UK Science Minister Lord Vallance, quantum technologies promise transformative advances across sectors like cybersecurity, medical imaging, drug discovery and more. He emphasized that international cooperation is essential to realize these benefits and that Germany’s strong R&D base and scientific institutions make it a natural partner.
Analysts note that quantum innovation could contribute as much as £11 billion to the UK economy by 2045, while generating over 100,000 skilled jobs. The joint funding and standardization efforts are therefore seen as strategic investments to ensure European competitiveness in a field with high commercial and societal potential.
This new collaboration builds on a history of strong UK-Germany research ties. Earlier agreements have included joint work on AI, clean technologies, and space. The addition of quantum to this mix signals growing recognition of quantum’s critical role in future science and technology leadership.
With joint funding, upgraded research capacity, and shared standards, the UK Germany quantum partnership may accelerate development of quantum-based solutions from next-generation sensors to secure communication and advanced computing potentially boosting innovation across health, defense, and industry. For more daily AI news updates, visit ainewstoday.org.
