UKRI: How the UK built a quantum technology nation

Insider Brief

• A UKRI evaluation found that a decade of coordinated UK quantum investment helped create more than 2,000 highly skilled jobs, support 74 spinouts and attract an estimated £482 million in private investment.
• UKRI announced £12 million for a national Quantum Commercialisation Skills Centre and £35 million for quantum networking testbed funding calls launching in February 2027.
• The evaluation estimated £547 million in realised and expected monetised benefits against £442 million in programme costs, including benefits projected through 2030–31.

PRESS RELEASE — At the National Quantum Technologies Showcase, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published an evaluation of a decade of UK quantum investment.

UKRI’s evaluation finds that a long-term, coordinated approach to investing in quantum research, skills and commercialisation has helped create:

• more than 2,000 highly skilled jobs
• 74 spinout companies
• an estimated £482 million of private investment

The National Quantum Technologies Showcase 2026 opens in London today. More than 3,500 delegates from industry, academia, government and the investment community will attend.

They will explore how quantum technologies are moving from research laboratories into real-world applications.