Thank you from QuantIC
Published: 28 November 2024
As QuantIC draws to a close, Professor Miles Padgett, Principal Investigator, thanks all who have been involved with the Hub over the past decade.
It has been 10 years of QuantIC and I'm truly grateful to all who have been involved with the Hub.
Beyond the research we’ve undertaken, and the tangible real-world impacts that have followed, perhaps the most profound contribution of the National Quantum Technology Programme has been something even more transformative.
In 2014 our first annual showcase, which QuantIC organised, was attended by around 100 academics, mostly discussing ideas amongst themselves. Fast forward 10 years, and the 2024 Showcase attracted over 2,000 participants, the majority from established industry, start-ups, and spin-outs. What was once purely academic has evolved into a thriving industrial-academic ecosystem.
The UK has pioneered a new model of turning world-class science into impactful technologies —a model that’s now being emulated across the globe. What once seemed like science fiction has become a reality. Many of these innovations have already led to new products and services, but more broadly, the dialogue between researchers, technologists, engineers, end users, and policymakers has fostered a co-created ecosystem that will continue to drive quantum forward.
While I admire the groundbreaking research that QuantIC has enabled, and the wide-ranging impacts it has had, what brings me the most joy is the career progression it has supported. Many of our postdoctoral researchers have secured independent fellowships or permanent academic positions around the world. Perhaps most significantly, many of our researchers have transitioned into the industrial sector, climbing the ranks in established companies or launching their own ventures through spin-outs and start-ups.
None of this would have been possible without the Central team that created an open for business, can-do Hub; and our ever-supportive Strategic Advisory Board, Management Board and Market Opportunities Panel for providing guidance throughout the years. Thank you to each and every one of you.
Though I still have plans ahead, I am fully aware that the leaders of tomorrow are all around me today, taking up the reins and propelling the quantum field forward. The future of quantum research, and its role in shaping mission-driven government, is in capable hands.
Yours
Miles
First published: 28 November 2024