Cambridge joins UK Quantum SuperConnector to accelerate commercial success of quantum research

Cambridge joins UK Quantum SuperConnector to accelerate commercial success of quantum research Sarah Collins Fri, 11/06/2026 - 14:27 A consortium of five of the UK’s top universities, including the University of Cambridge, has announced the launch of the UK Quantum SuperConnector, an initiative designed to bridge the gap between quantum research and commercial success. The initiative will create a UK-wide community of entrepreneurs, investors, industry adopters and policymakers that will strengthen the vibrant quantum ecosystem across the UK. The programme will help researchers across the country to accelerate the adoption of quantum technologies, attract investment and enable growth. The five universities – Cambridge, Imperial College London, and the Universities of Bristol, Glasgow and Oxford – all have deep strengths in quantum research and commercialisation. Cambridge’s contribution will draw on its track record in translating quantum research into commercial success through both startups and industrial collaboration, including Nu Quantum, Riverlane, and the University’s partnership with IonQ to establish the IonQ Quantum Innovation Centre, which was launched in October 2026 and will be the home of the most powerful quantum computer in the UK when it is installed next year. Professor Ramana Nanda from Imperial Business School will serve as Director of the Quantum SuperConnector. Dr Aga Iwasiewicz-Wabnig, Director of the University of Cambridge’s Maxwell Centre, will serve as Co-Director. “The UK’s long-standing strategic investment in quantum research, including through its National Quantum Technologies Programme (NQTP), already generates world-class science,” said Iwasiewicz-Wabnig. “We must now build up a matched capability to commercialise and deploy emerging quantum-enabled technologies, wherever in the UK the right ideas originate.” “The UK Quantum SuperConnector will draw on the decade of expertise of the Maxwell Centre in taking research towards…