July 2026 Newsletter
You can read July’s newsletter here.
Quantum Worlds – Music and Poetry: A Creative Exploration of Quantum Physics
On Friday 19 June, “Quantum Worlds – Music and Poetry” was performed at the Pianodrome in Edinburgh by IQN Hub’s Professor Erika Andersson, in collaboration with Pianist-in-Residence Will Pickvance, Steve Summers from Noisy Toys, Edinburgh pianist Nick Lauener, Pianodrome Co-Director Tim Vincent-Smith, and Professor Ruth Aylett, computer scientist and poet.
Sponsored by the IQN Hub and part of the Quantum Fringe (organised by Edinburgh’s Quantum Software Lab), the event brought together science and artistic performance in an imaginative exploration of quantum physics. The evening set out to make complex scientific theories accessible to non-specialist audiences through creative expression.
During the performance, participants were taken on a journey of mind-bending quantum concepts and their everyday applications. From tunes in superposition to poems about quantum love, with some quantum-entangled knitted mittens along the way, the event provided an engaging and accessible overview of quantum concepts and how quantum technology is shaping our future.
Covering topics such superposition, quantum entanglement, quantum measurement, wave-particle duality and even atomic clocks, the evening exemplified how outreach activities can enhance the communication of science. The enthusiastic response from the audience demonstrated how creative, interdisciplinary experiences can make quantum concepts more approachable and bridge the gap between complex research and public engagement.
Authentication for Quantum Networks: interactive workshop fosters cross-community collaboration
Earlier this month, IQN Hub researchers at King’s College London delivered a well-received “Authentication for Quantum Networks” workshop.
The workshop combined tutorial presentations, technical talks, and discussion sessions designed to encourage interaction between teams working on quantum cryptography, post-quantum cryptography, network security, hardware security, and quantum communications.
Bringing together participants from across academia, industry, and the wider UK quantum ecosystem, the workshop combined tutorials with research and industry perspectives, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange across teams working in traditionally separate sectors.
Discussions highlighted both the technical challenges and practical deployment considerations associated with authentication in quantum safe cryptographic protocols including Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), while also identifying several areas where closer collaboration between theorists, experimentalists, network engineers, and industry stakeholders would be beneficial.
Several key themes emerged during discussions:
- Authenticationremainsa critical challenge for scalable quantum networking.
- Strong interest exists in bridging theoretical and practical approaches.
- Industry participants highlighted deployment challenges and operational requirements.
- Significant opportunities for future collaboration wereidentified.
The high level of engagement that led to these insights underscores the growing interest in authentication as a critical component of secure quantum networking. It also highlights the increasingly important role that authentication plays in the development of future quantum networking technologies and demonstrates the value of bringing together expertise from a diverse range of research communities.
The Authentication for Quantum Networks workshop was funded by IQN Hub and the NMES research culture fund at King’s College London and was part of the Quantum Software Lab’s Quantum Fringe programme. The organising committee members were Kit Battarbee and Mina Doosti (Quantum Software Lab, University of Edinburgh); Rutvij Bhavsar and Roger Colbeck (King’s College London), and Ayesha Khalid (Queen’s University Belfast).
Integrated Quantum Networks Hub investigators lead two successful projects in recent QuantERA Call
Two projects led by investigators from the IQN Hub have been awarded funding through the highly competitive “QuantERA Call 2025”.
QuantERA, a major European funding programme supported by the European Commission, unites more than 40 Research Funding Organisations from over 30 countries, in Europe and beyond. Its core mission is to advance basic and applied research in quantum technologies, fostering collaboration, and strengthening the quantum ecosystem with sustainable funding.
The 2025 call saw an exceptional level of interest, with 287 proposals submitted by over 1,400 research teams representing 29 countries. Following a rigorous evaluation process, just 39 projects were selected for funding, with a total investment of approximately €53 million.
The successful two projects led by IQN Hub investigators are:
DEMAND (Deterministic, Electrically-driven Monolithic Architectures for Network Distribution), co-ordinated by Luke Wilson (University of Sheffield), a three-year €1.5 million initiative. The research team includes IQN Hub researchers Alistair Brash and National Epitaxy Facility Director Jon Heffernan, together with Dominic Hallett, Elisa Sala and Imad Faruque.
The DEMAND project aims to overcome a key bottleneck in scalable optical quantum technologies by delivering the first fully monolithic, electrically-driven, and deterministic single-photon source that operates in the telecom C-band.
To achieve this, the initiative targets wafer-scale, monolithic integration of advanced telecoms lasers with quantum dot single-photon sources, with the goal of generating highly pure and indistinguishable photons at rates exceeding 1 GHz.
Ultimately, the project seeks to field-validate the multi-channel devices through high-rate entanglement swapping in real-world networking environments, establishing a scalable hardware blueprint for future quantum networks.
The project consortium brings together a strong network of academic and industry partners, including Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands), ICON Photonics (France), the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest (Romania), the University of Geneva (Switzerland), and UK-based Aegiq Ltd.
The AL FreSQO (Atom-Light Free-Space Quantum Optics networking) project is a three-year, €1.75 million project co-ordinated by Daniel Oi and Aidan Arnold (University of Strathclyde).
The project also involves IQN Hub Researcher Patrick Ledingham at the University of Southampton, together with Humboldt University, University of Padua, ThinkQuantum, and Sabancı University.
AL FreSQO will develop quantum ‘memories’ – systems to store quantum information – for communication networks based on cold atoms.
Quantum memories can be used in repeater devices that buffer data over long distance links, helping to mitigate signal loss through the distribution of entanglement. Quantum entanglement, which allows secure communications and enables more efficient sensing and computation, is a fundamental resource for quantum information technologies.
AL FreSQO will explore how quantum communications can operate using several technologies, including free-space optical links, as an alternative to fibre networks, and systems which inter-convert the wavelength of light between those used in telecommunications and those that can more easily ‘talk’ to quantum systems.
These approaches could reduce the need for bulky, energy-intensive cryogenic systems, which are frequently used for alternative quantum memory platforms.
The full list of successful QuantERA projects can be found here:
https://quantera.eu/quantera-call-2025-results-39-projects-driving-future-quantum-technologies/
IQN Hub celebrates the launch of new report on Scotland’s Quantum Ecosystem
Representatives from the IQN Hub recently contributed to the launch of a landmark assessment of Scotland’s quantum ecosystem. The report, published by QURECA on behalf of Quantum ARC, highlights how Scotland has developed one of the world’s top five quantum clusters and explores how it can maintain its strategic edge.
As well as celebrating this success, the publication also outlines several ongoing challenges. These are reflected in the contributions of IQN Hub’s Director, Professor Gerald Buller, who highlights the shortage of non-specialist technical staff and the need for stronger interdisciplinary training to ensure that the UK’s quantum talent pipeline is strengthened. Also emphasised is the importance of collaboration with adjacent industries such as cybersecurity and telecommunications, and Prof. Buller underlines how the IQN Hub is working closely with its extensive partner network to support this.
The event featured an impressive lineup of speakers, including Richard Lochhead (former MSP and Minister in the Scottish Government), Derek Craig (EPSRC), Simon Andrews (Fraunhofer UK Research Ltd), and Alastair McInroy (Technology Scotland), all of whom shared insights into the future of quantum innovation in Scotland.
The IQN Hub’s Business Development Manager, Jamie Cameron, also provided an overview of the IQN Hub’s recent initiatives and how the Hub can continue to play a key role in supporting both Scottish and UK capabilities in future quantum networks.
Throughout the day, Scottish companies exhibited the real strength and diversity of Scotland’s quantum and photonics ecosystem and participated in a series of valuable panel discussions highlighting the challenges and opportunities around critical infrastructure, investment opportunities, and the development of skills and workforce capacity.
You can read the report here:
Inside Scotland’s Quantum Ecosystem: From Capability to Strategic Edge
The Integrated Quantum Networks (IQN) Hub Convenes United Kingdom – United States Quantum Networking Summit
IQN Hub recently convened a special one-day UK – US Quantum Networking Summit in Bristol, bringing together thought-leaders from both nations to focus on exploring priority areas for deeper collaboration in quantum communications and networking.
The event was organised with support from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Science and Technology Network (STN) team and the Department for Business and Trade. Participants represented key academic institutions and industry sectors in the quantum landscape, including representatives from leading US companies such as The Boeing Company, IonQ, QuEra and Qunnect alongside the Argonne National Laboratory, Caltech/NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); Northwestern University (a key delivery partner of the Chicago Quantum Exchange project), University of California Santa Barbara and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
IQN Hub academic partners such as the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Oxford, Sheffield, York, King’s College London, the National Physical Laboratory and STFC RAL Space were strongly represented, alongside key industry partners: the BT Group, IBM, ORCA Computing and Toshiba Europe. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Innovate UK, the Office for Quantum – a special branch of the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology – and the National Quantum Technologies Programme were also in attendance.
The summit followed a successful UK delegation to Chicago and New York in 2023 and highlighted the strides both research ecosystems have made on developing quantum networks since. Participants were updated on the UK’s quantum strategy and the recently announced £2bn UK Government investment into quantum technologies, plus an overview of some of the key capabilities and testbed infrastructure available in both the UK and US.
The programme started with an overview of the UK perspective on quantum networking from Hub Director, Professor Gerald Buller and included a series of roundtable discussions on shared research priorities. A panel discussion provided an industry perspective from both sides of the Atlantic on the opportunities and challenges facing the wider deployment of future quantum networks. Topics discussed included advancing partnerships in satellite-based quantum networks, coordination on international quantum networks testbeds, and alignment on benchmarking and standards. The importance of barriers and risks in international collaboration was acknowledged, as was the critical role for skills initiatives in the future of the quantum talent pipeline.
Key contributors to the event included Heriot-Watt University colleagues Professor Alessandro Fedrizzi (Hub Assistant Director), Dr Jamie Cameron (Business Development Manager) and Dr Georgia Mortzou (Hub Manager).
As a key output, the summit led to discussions on how to establish concrete proposals for deeper near-term UK – US collaboration in quantum communications and quantum networks, with an emphasis on actionable outcomes and follow-up activity.
QNetworks 2026: researchers present progress on future quantum networks at flagship Hub international workshop
The IQN Hub successfully hosted its international workshop, QNetworks 2026, on 12-13 May at the Bristol Aquarium. The workshop brought together global leaders from academia, industry, and government to advance the future of quantum networking.
Across the two days of the workshop, attendees took part in a wide-ranging programme covering many of the challenges and possible solutions towards future quantum networks. Integral to the event were the contributions of Early Career Researchers, whose involvement in both the planning and participation in the event highlighted the importance of training and skills development within this vital part of the research ecosystem.
The first day of QNetworks 2026 kicked off with a welcome from Hub Director Gerald Buller and featured perspectives from industry on next-generation quantum networks, followed by talks from various contributors on quantum security for real-world applications, and a panel discussion on challenges around the field deployment of fibre-based quantum networks.
On day two of the conference, sessions covered quantum networking beyond QKD; quantum memories and networks; quantum communications in space (including a panel session) and real-world implementations of quantum networks.
Presentations on the first day included talks on quantum safe networking (Andrew Shields, Toshiba Europe Ltd); BT NISQ networks and the critical path ahead (Cathy White, BT); quantum interconnects for distributed quantum computing (Mihir Bhaskar, IonQ); optical microcavities (Ben Walker-Pearl, Nu Quantum); a review of the quantum patent portfolio (Jeff Hunt, The Boeing Company); quantum risk for the financial sector (Sarah McCarthy, Citi); classical security vulnerabilities with quantum cryptography (Ayesha Khalid, Queen’s University Belfast); quantum tokens (Adrian Kent, University of Cambridge) and higher rates for semi-device-independent randomness expansion (Rutvij Bhavsar, King’s College London). A lively panel session followed this, on fibre-based quantum networks which included Ian Davidson (University of Southampton), Alessandro Fedrizzi (Heriot-Watt University & IQN Hub), Zoe Davidson (BT) and Francesco Raffaelli (KETS Quantum).
The day ended with an overview of the UK Quantum Technology Ecosystem from Sir Peter Knight (National Quantum Technologies Programme Strategic Advisory Board), and a poster session with contributions from Early Career Researchers and PhD students.
Day two of the programme started with talks on high-dimensional entanglement control (Natalia Herrera Valencia, Heriot-Watt University/Intertangle); balancing scalability, feasibility, and interoperability of quantum repeaters (Mohsen Razavi, University of Leeds); a classical perspective of quantum networks (Don Towsley, University of Massachusetts Amherst); multidimensional encoding in quantum networks (Davide Bacco, University of Florence); distributed quantum computing with silicon colour centres (Chloe Clear, Photonic Inc); building the backbone of quantum data centres (Thomas Nieddu, Welinq); warm vapour telecom quantum memories (Paul Burdekin, University of Oxford & IQN Hub) and spins in quantum dots (Dorian Gangloff, University of Cambridge & IQN Hub).
After lunch, delegates enjoyed a session in quantum communications in space. Firstly, there were talks on superconducting nanowire single photon detectors for space-based quantum networking (Matt Shaw, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory), a review of systems engineering of the Hub’s SPOQC quantum mission (Emily Williams & Jennifer Bosher, STFC RAL Space & IQN Hub) and the applications and implementation of small satellite quantum networks (Natalie Pearson, Craft Prospect).
The space theme continued with a panel on quantum communications in space that included Ryan Kraliz (Lumino Technologies), Jay Lowell (The Boeing Company), Matt Shaw (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and Andy Vick (STFC RAL Space & IQN Hub).
Afternoon sessions included talks on the deployment of the Geneva quantum network (Rob Thew, University of Geneva); scalability of quantum networks (Siddarth Joshi, University of Bristol & IQN Hub); long-distance quantum communications with independent remote light sources (Zhiliang Yuan, Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences); scaling quantum networks beyond laboratory research (Prem Kumar, Northwestern University) and finally using trapped ions in optical cavities for quantum networks (Viktor Krutianskii, University of Innsbruck).
Feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive, with participants particularly highlighting the breadth and quality of the talks and panels, as well as recognising the strong momentum generated for ongoing and future joint initiatives.
QNetworks was free to attend thanks to support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Congratulations to the winners of the poster awards:
- 1st prize – Thomas Hird: University of Birmingham
- 2nd prize – Joseph Niblo: Heriot-Watt University
- Runner-Up – Zofia Borowska: T-Labs
IQN Hub is looking forward to inviting attendees to our next QNetworks Workshop, taking place in 2028.
May 2026 Newsletter
You can read IQN Hub’s May Newsletter here.
SPIE Photonics Europe
IQN Hub’s Director, Professor Gerald Buller presented to a packed plenary session at SPIE Photonics Europe earlier this month, sharing insights into advances in imaging enabled by quantum technologies.
SPIE Photonics Europe is one of the leading European events for optics and photonics research and development. As the leading international society for optics and photonics, the conference continues to showcase world class innovation across the field.
Quantum Outreach in the Scottish Islands
As part of efforts to expand science engagement in rural areas, IQN Hub’s Professor Erika Andersson has been teaming up with accordionist Karen Tweed to deliver outreach activities that reimagine how quantum science can be shared with non‑specialist audiences. Instead of traditional lectures, the events combine quantum physics with music and poetry, offering new ways to explore and understand complex quantum ideas.
“Music for a Quantum Landscape”, presented at Orkney International Science Festival, explored connections between quantum physics, place and artistic expression, using live performance to translate scientific ideas into shared cultural experiences. For example, to illustrate quantum superposition, a Nordic folk tune was played on top of a well-known Orcadian tune, with the audience invited to name the tune. Audience members thought that the music, traditional knitting and poetry made learning about quantum physics very enjoyable, and the performance was praised by the Festival’s main organiser Howie Firth as “one of the finest events in the entire 35-year history of the Festival”, seamlessly combining science and art.
Erika and Karen also recently took part in North Ronaldsay Science Festival, where audience members reflected on how traditional Orcadian and Finnish knitwear incorporating wave-like patterns, can be seen as an artistic illustration of quantum entanglement. This highlights the power of creative approaches to make abstract scientific concepts more accessible and memorable. During her visit to Orkney, Erika also gave a talk to high-school students at Stromness Academy.
By taking quantum science directly to island communities, research engagement can move beyond urban centres and traditional formats, creating meaningful connections between advanced science and local culture.
More information can be found here: https://theorkneynews.scot/2025/09/27/music-for-a-quantum-landscape-orkney-international-science-festival/
Locals and attendees joining Erika and Karen for a traditional music session
Photo Credit: Sam Stringer
Orkney Science Festival
Photo Credit: Eammon Keyes