UK launches £12.6m programme for quantum and photonics technologies

A new £12.6 million UK research programme, titled Materials Engineering for Advanced Devices (MEAD), has been launched to advance photonics and quantum technologies. The five-year initiative aims to translate atomic-scale research into practical, deployable devices for secure communications, next-generation sensing, and scalable computing.

Led by the University of Manchester in collaboration with Imperial College London and the University of Leeds, the programme will utilize techniques such as deterministic single-atom doping and isotopic engineering. These methods allow researchers to precisely design material properties at the atomic level to overcome current limitations in technology.

Key objectives include the development of highly sensitive masers—the microwave equivalent of lasers—and quantum sensors capable of detecting minute changes in gravitational fields. The project is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and builds upon existing national infrastructure investments in semiconductor fabrication and advanced materials characterisation.