The UK Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have announced a major national funding package totaling £78 million ($103.8 million USD) to accelerate the commercialization of quantum sensing, quantum networking, and workforce development under the National Quantum Strategy.

Delivered through UKRI’s Quantum Technologies Priority Programme as part of the UK Industrial Strategy, the package includes £50 million ($66.53 million USD) in direct innovation grants for commercial sensing and positioning applications, £20 million ($26.62 million USD) for supply-chain component development in quantum networking, and an £8 million ($10.65 million USD) expansion of the QuEST Apprentices Programme.

The funding directly advances the UK’s goal of establishing global leadership in quantum sensing by 2030, supported by the broader £2 billion 10-year National Quantum Strategy investment. Complementing the £78 million commercialization package, EPSRC has also opened a £17 million ($22.6 million USD) targeted funding opportunity (“UKRI: Integration of AI/HPC with quantum computing“) closing in December 2026, offering awards up to £3.75 million ($5 million USD) to integrate quantum computing platforms with classical high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence workflows.

Ahead of the UK National Quantum Technologies Showcase 2026, these initiatives collectively reinforce the EPSRC Quantum Technologies Theme—which maintains an average annual baseline budget of £33 million ($44 million USD)—focusing on transitioning quantum physics out of academic laboratories into dual-use civilian, NHS, and national security infrastructure.

Source:https://quantumcomputingreport.com/uk-government-and-ukri-unveil-78m-103-8m-usd-quantum-commercialization-networking-and-skills-package/