A Quantum Innovation Symposium has been hosted by Sunway University in Malaysia in collaboration with Lancaster University to bring together expertise in communications, computing, sensing, materials, infrastructure and innovation.
The symposium formed part of the Future Cities Conference 2026 and was delivered through the Future Cities Research Institute (FCRI), a joint Sunway University-Lancaster University research initiative.
Quantum technologies use effects at atomic and subatomic scales to enable new approaches to computing, communication and measurement. The event brought together researchers, innovation leaders, industry experts and students to examine the capabilities needed to build a sustainable quantum innovation ecosystem.
Under the conference theme "From Living Lab to Urban Impact", participants considered how emerging technologies can be developed responsibly around the needs of people, organisations and places.
The programme was opened by Associate Professor Dr Saad Aslam, Head of Sunway University's School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, and Professor Ziad Melhem, Co-Director of Quantum Innovation Lancaster (QIL). QIL brings together Lancaster University's research expertise, specialist facilities and partnership capabilities so that researchers, businesses and public organisations can more easily identify relevant expertise, explore potential applications and develop routes towards testing, demonstration and adoption.
Professor Melhem opened the technical programme with "Charting the Quantum Future: Innovation, Impact and Opportunity", setting out the scientific, economic and societal potential of quantum technologies and the importance of building the conditions in which new ideas can progress towards use.
The sessions that followed traced the breadth of that innovation pathway. Professor Noor Zaman Jhanjhi of Sunway University explored quantum communications and their potential to strengthen privacy, trust and secure connectivity. Professor Jonathan Prance of Lancaster University examined quantum computing and sensing; Professor Richard Haley, Co-Director of QIL, focused on the specialist infrastructure and technical expertise needed to develop and test quantum applications and Professor Benjamin Robinson, Director of the Materials Science Lancaster research centre, considered the superconducting, topological and other advanced materials that could provide the foundations for the next generation of quantum devices.
The day concluded with a multidisciplinary panel, "Convergence at the Quantum Frontier: Integrating Science, Engineering and Society". The discussion widened the focus beyond the laboratory to consider how quantum innovation intersects with industry, policy, ethics and academia.
Dr Steve Fish, Faculty Director of Partnerships and Business Engagement at Lancaster University and QIL Operational Lead, said: " Progress depends on connecting the science to materials, infrastructure, skills, users and partners who understand the problem that needs to be solved. QIL is intended to make those connections easier. Presenting it at Sunway allowed us to showcase Lancaster's capabilities internationally, learn from complementary expertise in Malaysia and consider how quantum technologies could contribute to wider Future Cities challenges. The most important question is not simply what the technology can do, but where it can create genuine value."
Professor Kirk Semple, Director of International Research at Lancaster University, said: "The visit to Sunway University demonstrated the value of bringing together complementary expertise from across our two institutions. The discussions around quantum technologies, secure digital systems and future cities showed how the Lancaster-Sunway partnership can connect excellent research with global challenges and create new opportunities for collaboration, innovation and impact."
