The Norwegian Minister for Research and Higher Education visited King's College London this week to take part in a roundtable discussion exploring emerging quantum technologies and their translation from research into real-world applications.
The Norwegian Minister for Research and Higher Education visited King's College London this week to take part in a roundtable discussion exploring emerging quantum technologies and their translation from research into real-world applications.
Minister Sigrun Aasland's delegation included members of the Norwegian National Quantum Initiative, The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise and the University of Bergen. The delegation met with academics from King's Quantum, the London Centre for Technology, London Quantum Cluster and the Faculty's Enterprise & Engagement team to discuss the opportunities and challenges surrounding quantum technologies, with a particular focus on healthcare, defence and the commercialisation of research. Discussions also explored how governments, universities and industry can work together to accelerate innovation and build the skills needed to support the next generation of quantum scientists.
The delegation's visit formed part of Norway's work to develop its own national quantum strategy. As the country looks to strengthen its capabilities in quantum research and innovation, it has been examining the UK's approach as an international example of how research excellence, national strategy and industry collaboration can drive the adoption and commercialization of emerging technologies. King's was selected for the visit in recognition of the success of King's Quantum in supporting the uptake of quantum technologies and fostering strong partnerships between academia and industry.
"Quantum could potentially make us healthier, safer and improve our quality of life. To realise this, we need to better collaborate across academia and industry, and strengthen international ties."
Sigrun Aasland, Norwegian Minister for Research and Higher Education
Since launching in 2024, King's Quantum has established itself as a leading interdisciplinary centre focused on applying quantum technologies to healthcare, life sciences, security and industry. The centre's growing portfolio includes work on next-generation quantum sensors that could improve medical diagnostics and navigation systems, participation in the London Quantum Cluster to support commercialisation and spin-out activity, and pioneering research partnerships with organisations including the National Quantum Computing Centre and Google Quantum AI, with one King's team recently gaining access to Google's Willow processor as part of a prestigious initiative.
The delegation heard about QAssure, an Innovate UK funded project to establish a security assurance framework to assess security for quantum technology-based communications systems, for which King's is a key partner, as an example of how academia, industry and policymakers can work together to deliver large-scale innovation. The project demonstrates the importance of embedding regulation, verification, certification and trust into the development of emerging technologies from the outset.
King's researchers also shared how the university supports interdisciplinary doctoral research and industry-linked PhD studentships, helping to equip future researchers with the skills needed to translate scientific discoveries into practical applications.
On the importance of international roundtables such as this, Sigrun Aasland, Norwegian Minister for Research and Higher Education, said:
"Quantum could potentially make us healthier, safer and improve our quality of life. To realise this, we need to better collaborate across academia and industry, and strengthen international ties."
Professor James Millen, Director of King's Quantum, also commented:
"Discussion is at the heart of research. As quantum breakthroughs transform security and healthcare, in ever greater partnership with industry, conversations with trusted partners become increasingly important. Only by working through difficult problems together can we enable the national ecosystems and thriving collaborations required to realise the great potential of emerging technologies."
The roundtable concluded with reflections on the opportunities that exist for deeper collaboration between the UK and Norway, and how the strong research relationships that already exist between the two countries could be amplified in the future.
