The UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has concluded a series of trials aimed at developing next-generation atomic clock technology for military applications. Published on February 18, 2026, the initiative focuses on improving Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) resilience for UK forces, providing a fallback for satellite-based systems like GPS, which are susceptible to jamming or denial. These clocks utilize light waves to energize atoms, creating a frequency reference significantly more stable and accurate than current standard military timing components.

Today, the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada, announced an investment of over $46.6 million for eight B.C. projects that accelerate defence innovation and help local businesses grow and integrate into domestic and international defence supply chains. These projects are part of Canada’s first Defence Industrial Strategy and represent foundational investments in B.C.’s defence capabilities.

Partners in the IrelandQCI project successfully demonstrated quantum-secure communication at Dublin City Council headquarters today, as part of the project’s first engagement with a local authority.

The White House is reportedly drafting a sweeping executive order that would establish a whole-of-government strategy to coordinate federal investment, infrastructure, security and commercialization efforts across U.S. quantum technologies. The draft order directs OSTP, Commerce, Energy and Defense to update the National Quantum Strategy, launch a federally backed scientific quantum computer, expand quantum sensing and networking, and deepen partnerships with industry and allied nations. The proposal emphasizes workforce development, manufacturing capacity and counterintelligence protections for quantum research, while notably omitting provisions related to post-quantum cryptography and DHS oversight.

South Korea hopes to establish a quantum industry ecosystem and become one of the top global quantum chip manufacturers by 2035.

Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY-04) and Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23), members of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, introduced the bipartisan Advancing Regional Quantum Hubs Act. This bill will strengthen Long Island and our nation’s quantum computing hubs, enhance our national security and position the United States as a global leader in quantum computing, AI and technological innovation.

Numana has launched a new Québec City component of its Kirq quantum-safe test bed, enabling real-world testing of quantum-secure communications systems ahead of large-scale deployment. The Kirq test bed now forms a connected loop across Sherbrooke, Montréal, and Québec City, allowing companies and institutions to test quantum-safe technologies on live networks that mirror operational conditions. Hosted with Université Laval’s COPL and the National Optics Institute, the expansion supports Canada’s National Quantum Strategy and the planned migration to quantum-safe cryptography by 2035.

The Forum will establish five new Centres for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in France, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and India. Each centre will work with governments and industry to deliver practical policy frameworks and pilots, address regional priorities and advance international cooperation. Focus areas include AI innovation, the energy transition, cyber resilience and frontier technologies.

Across a dozen European countries, a new European pilot will be started in 2026: Photonics for Quantum (P4Q). In this project, a large consortium is working on ways to make photonic chips for quantum applications more reliable and scalable. The coordinator of P4Q, Pepijn Pinkse (University of Twente, NL): "Ideas that currently remain in the lab can grow into really useful devices more quickly."

The Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), in collaboration with Q*Bird, has officially deployed Spain’s first operational Measurement-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution (MDI-QKD) network. This multi-node infrastructure connects three distinct high-security sites: two locations within the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) and one within the Ministry of the Interior (SGSICS). Unlike traditional point-to-point QKD, this deployment utilizes a hub-and-spoke topology that enables a fully connected mesh network without the need for “trusted nodes” at the central hub, a significant advancement for the security and scalability of metropolitan quantum communications.