£12.6M Boost for Next-Gen Photonics, Quantum Tech

Researchers at Imperial are part of a new 12.6 million EPSRC-funded UK research programme launched to accelerate the development of next-generation photonic and quantum technology devices, using atomic-scale materials engineering to unlock new capabilities in communications, sensing and computing.

The five-year Materials Engineering for Advanced Devices (MEAD) EPSRC Programme Grant will bring together researchers from Imperial, the University of Manchester and the University of Leeds to focus on technologies that could underpin future secure communications systems, ultra-sensitive quantum sensors and scalable quantum computing - all areas recognised as strategically important to the UK's future economic prosperity, security and technological resilience. This is supported by an additional 5.6 million in partner funding.

One of the most significant challenges facing modern technology is how to utilise the engineering materials with such precision that their properties can be controlled at the level of individual atoms to realise new devices and capabilities.