By Scott Wright

AN EDINBURGH-based manufacturer of high-precision laser instrumentation has secured a £750,000 grant as part of a programme to understand how quantum technology can be applied to industries such as financial services, defence, security, and medical diagnostics.

UniKLasers has been awarded the grant by Innovate UK, the national research and innovation agency, and will use the funding to help spearhead the commercial development of applications. It joins a consortium including 13 other industry and academic partners aiming to accelerate commercialisation and collaboration efforts within the British quantum technology community. The £10 million project is led by Fraunhofer UK Research, based at the University of Strathclyde.

Other fields such as magnetic and gravity sensors, for example where geological and seismic data can be assessed, will also be part of the work.

Professor Fedor Karpushko, founder and chief executive of UniKLasers, said: “Quantum Technology is rife with exhilarating opportunities. This is our fifth project funded by Innovate UK and the most exciting so far, because the realities and impact of quantum technologies is of such magnitude that even some of the scientists involved cannot yet fully explain how it will transform the world around us. All we know is that these changes will be profound.”