QDNL and UK Government sign MoU for Cooperation in Quantum Tech
This week, a Dutch quantum delegation of 25 crossed the Channel for our UK Quantum Innovation Mission. Together with the Dutch Enterprise Agency (RVO) and the Netherlands Innovation Network, Quantum Delta NL hosted a multi-day programme around the UK National Quantum Technologies Showcase.
During the mission, the Netherlands and UK Minister Freeman signed an agreement to help harness the constant creation of new knowledge, understanding and insights from both our ecosystems.
At the UK National Quantum Technologies Showcase this week, Minister George Freeman signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the UK Government & the Netherlands for cooperation in quantum technologies. By working together, we can accelerate the development of quantum technologies and grow our collective expertise. Quantum Delta NL (QDNL) was glad to be a part of this unique moment, and we travelled back to the Netherlands with loads of ideas and inspiration.
The signing of this new quantum agreement with the UK was part of a multi-day visit to the quantum ecosystem in the UK, including a visit to the UK Quantum Showcase and several quantum hubs, among which the Harwell Science & Innovation Campus in Oxford and the NPL National Physical Laboratory. There, they learned more about the UK’s quantum developments and established valuable connections to progress collaborations with the UK. Ideas were raised for talent exchanges and summer schools, and possible projects in the field of quantum communications, quantum algorithms and photonics.
UK Minister Freeman signed the new quantum agreement with the Netherlands with the goal to harness the constant creation of new knowledge and understanding and insights from both our innovation ecosystems. International partnerships will play a crucial role in delivering their ambitions for quantum technologies as set out within the U.K.’s National Quantum Strategy.
“Historically, the UK and Netherlands have had very good relations and collaborations. We recognize that we can't do quantum alone and, instead, it should be worked on together,” said Mayra van Houts, Tech Policy Analyst, QDNL. “There are many opportunities for us to coordinate and to learn from our collective expertise and experience. We are both heavily invested in the development of our quantum ecosystems and in nurturing the quantum talent pool of the future. We look forward to strengthening these ties.”
The Netherlands and the UK have a strong history and culture of technology, and the agreement will deepen the collaboration on science and innovation between the two. It will also support efforts by both to develop ethical and governance principles for the responsible use of quantum technology, for the benefit of society as a whole. Both the UK and the Netherlands invest heavily in the further development of technology and have active government policies on these topics. Earlier this year, the UK announced a 10-year program to invest £2.5bn in quantum computing, aiming to keep the UK competitive in Quantum. QDNL has worked closely with the UK Quantum office in the past years. For example, only a week ago the countries jointly hosted a workshop in Amsterdam for 13 like-minded countries on striking the right balance between ‘promote’ and ‘protect' for quantum technologies.
