The West of England has struck a landmark technology deal with the US aimed driving growth and investment in quantum businesses across the region.
The agreement was signed West of England Combined Authority (Weca), the University of Bristol and the largest regional quantum consortium in America, Elevate Quantum, on Tuesday (November 4).
It is hoped the deal – the first of its kind in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ – will lead to the creation of jobs across the West Country and the Mountain West region of the US (Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming).
Areas of cooperation to drive growth include aligning academic research with industry needs, integrating supply chains and supporting scale-up quantum businesses.
This transatlantic agreement follows the first ever Tech Prosperity Deal signed between the º£½ÇÊÓƵ and US in September, which saw £280bn of new investment committed by British and North American firms.
Among them was NVIDIA, a key partner in developing the £225m Isambard-AI - the º£½ÇÊÓƵ's most powerful supercomputer - with the University of Bristol and HPE at the NCC and Bristol and Bath Science Park.
It also builds on January’s º£½ÇÊÓƵ-Colorado deal to increase trade, strengthen business links, and enhance academic ties to boost research.
Senior representatives from the Colorado and New Mexico quantum sectors visited the West of England on Tuesday to sign the agreement, joined by mayor Helen Godwin and the vice-chancellor of the University of Bristol.
The US delegates toured research facilities in Bristol, including the University of Bristol’s Quantum Technologies Innovation Centre (QTIC), which helps early-stage entrepreneurs and start-ups to become commercially viable.
Backed by £35m of funding from Weca, QTIC is currently at pilot stage and will be boosted next year when the University of Bristol’s new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus opens with 38,000 square metres of space for education, innovation and collaboration – alongside a third incubator from Science Creates, the city’s pioneering deep tech ecosystem, which is a joint venture with the university.
Ms Godwin said: “Digital and tech job growth here in the West has led the way over the last decade – stronger than any other region, including London.
"These foundations have helped secure this cutting-edge agreement to enable new investment and create new jobs. Working with Elevate Quantum, guided by our new Growth Strategy, we know that the best is yet to come."
Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Elevate Quantum is a consortium of more than 120 industry, investor, government and academic institutions across three US states, and is the country’s first and only federally funded quantum tech hub.
It is home to four Nobel Laureates in quantum physics, with more venture capital investment for the sector than in any other state. Elevate Quantum plans to activate more than $2bn of private capital by 2030, and create more than 50 quantum start-ups and more than 10,000 quantum jobs over the next decade.
Zach Yerushalmi, chief executive of Elevate Quantum, said: "This agreement positions Colorado and New Mexico at the centre of a global quantum collaboration - linking our world-class researchers, companies, and innovators with the United Kingdom’s leading quantum ecosystem.
“By bridging Colorado’s federally designated Tech Hub with Bristol’s pioneering quantum cluster, we’re unlocking new opportunities for investment, job creation, and technology commercialisation that will accelerate the Mountain West’s leadership in the Quantum Century."
The agreement has been supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s US Science and Technology Network; the Department for Business and Trade; the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology; the º£½ÇÊÓƵ Consulate General in Chicago; the Office of Colorado Governor Jared Polis; University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado School of Mines; and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Professor Evelyn Welch, vice-chancellor and president of the University of Bristol, added: “This agreement is a major vote of confidence in the region’s quantum expertise, building on the university’s proud history and reputation for ground-breaking research and innovation in quantum technologies."
