New Pact to Nurture India-UK Quantum Value Chain From Research to Market

The Quantum Ecosystems Technology Council of India (QETCI) and UK-based India Global Forum (IGF) have agreed to develop a comprehensive India-UK quantum value-chain map to guide collaboration, from research to market, as part of a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) announced here on Thursday.

Quantum technology, based on the principles of quantum mechanics, is a key pillar of the UK-India Technology Security Initiative (TSI) agreed between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Keir Starmer in July.

This week's pact is seen as central to charting capabilities, gaps, and complementary strengths across industry, science, and startups to produce a practical playbook for two-way research and development, commercial adoption and investment.

“The quantum value chain mapping for India and the UK can help identify complementarities and mutually beneficial areas of collaboration,” said Reena Dayal, Founder and CEO of QETCI.

“Our partnership with IGF will facilitate the right collaborations and accelerate adoption of quantum technologies across sectors,” she said.

Under the India-UK TSI, both sides recognised quantum as an “important area” and agreed to “expand the scope” of dialogue in the area. It is against this backdrop that the new MoU has been catalysed by the UK-India Future Forum (UKIFF), IGF’s platform for UK-India business and policy engagement across both countries.

“This MoU comes at a crucial time. It will systematically map policy junctures for co-creation and connect the two ecosystems through knowledge sharing and collaboration,” said UKIFF Director Will Carne.

As part of their strategic partnership, UKIFF and QETCI will engage stakeholders across government, academia and industry to validate findings and publish an initial 'UK-India Quantum Value-Chain Overview' by next year.

As a not-for-profit, QETCI brings together industry, academia, government and partner organisations to advance, accelerate and enable the quantum ecosystem in India. Experts believe this new and faster tech has the potential to revolutionise a wide range of sectors, including medicine, energy, electronics and communications.