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Artificial Intelligence
AI for Health
The potential for AI to accelerate and improve all aspects of our health is vast. One project funded through the £13m AI for health competition is led by Dr Sophia Bano at the University College London. They are developing a real-time AI ‘assisted decision support framework’ to help advance endoscopy technology in pituitary surgery, assisting surgeons as they perform delicate, precise keyhole surgery to remove small tumors from inside the skull. Development of this new AI technology aims to make removal of one of the most common types of brain tumour safer and more effective, improving surgical outcomes, avoiding complications following surgery and shortening recovery time for patients.
AI for Net Zero
£13 million is supporting seven projects to help the UK meet its net zero targets. Projects are exploring innovative solutions for net zero challenges across a range of sectors through the development and use of AI technologies. The projects are looking to make substantive progress towards delivery of real-world solutions, from the development of an AI virtual power plant helping improve crop resilience from natural hazards and extreme events, to exploring novel machine learning models to help accelerate selection of crops with high yields that are climate resistance. While these projects are still undertaking transformative research, impacts are already beginning to show, with key partners adopting AI solutions developed as part of this programme that will help the UK meet its net zero targets.
One project led by Heriot-Watt University is pioneering ground-breaking artificial intelligence techniques that could revolutionise carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to propel us toward a net-zero future. This project, using advanced AI simulators, has been able to reduce the time required for modelling CCS methods from 100 days down to just 24 hours. This acceleration opens up new possibilities for making CCS a viable economic option, enabling traditional industries like steel, cement, and chemicals to decarbonise efficiently.
Responsible AI UK (RAI UK)
RAI UK is a £35m programme that delivers interdisciplinary research and coheres an international ecosystem for Responsible AI research and innovation. Its vision is to ensure responsible and trustworthy AI powers benefits for everyday life. RAI UK have consulted extensively across the UK to understand the emerging challenges within responsible AI and have now deployed more than £15m into projects to accelerate the adoption of responsible AI practices and technologies, create an international network of researchers, and deliver advice to governments and industry on emerging challenges. This has led RAI UK to be instrumental in key UK AI initiatives over the past year including co-organising the AI Fringe event in November 2023, partnering for the AI Fringe event at the AI Seoul Summit held in June 2024, and publishing a white paper with key industry and civil society representatives.
Engineering Biology
Science Creates Engineering Biology Accelerator Programme
The Science Creates Engineering Biology Accelerator Programmeis providing entrepreneurs with bespoke training, mentorship and access to co-investment opportunities in partnership with globally recognised venture capital (VC) firms, while also connecting participants with the Science Creates' community, which has over 40 deep tech companies and 13 strategic partners.
Through the Programme, participants develop entrepreneurial skills such as creating a business growth strategy, technology road mapping for commercialisation, team structure, leadership and aligning a fundraising plan. So far, the Programme has supported 19 engineering biology companies, eight of which were founded through the Programme, with 10 going on to receive feasibility funding to accelerate their business idea further and develop new technologies to tackle global issues across healthcare and the environment. The second cohort, commencing June 2024, will support a further 20 Engineering Biology innovators from across the UK.
The Science Creates Accelerator was a great experience and gave me deep insights into the biotech startup world. It has helped me to transform from scientist to entrepreneur. I am amazed how much my mindset has changed in just a few months!
Dr Kamila Malysz
Programme graduate
Co-founder and CSO of Excellio Labs
Quantum Technologies
Quantum Computing Testbeds – ORCA Computing
ORCA Computing is developing a photonic quantum computing testbed for machine learning to unlock new fields of applications, accelerate innovation and help transform industries. The ORCA Computing testbed will be an industry first, integrating multiple photon sources in a single system to accelerate the development of quantum computing for real-world applications. The company will deliver and install their hardware at the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) to allow the testing of multiple different photonic quantum computing architectures. Partners include Sparrow Quantum, Bay Photonics, RedWave Labs, NVIDIA, AMAX and Imperial College London.
Richard Murray, PhD, Co-founder, and CEO of ORCA Computing said: “Our testbed will allow users to test and develop multiple different photonic quantum computing architectures, accelerating their identification of real applications and use cases.”
This is just one of the seven quantum computing testbeds that have been funded through the £30m investment, in partnership with NQCC, to provide quantum computing infrastructure to UK businesses. ORCA Computing has also been previously supported by EPSRC and the National Quantum Technologies Programme
Un-jammable quantum tech takes flight to boost UK’s resilience
In a first-of-its-kind achievement, the UK has successfully completed commercial flight trials of advanced quantum-based navigation systems that cannot be jammed or spoofed by hostile actors. Global positioning system (GPS) jamming is currently relatively rare and does not directly impact an aircraft’s flight path. However, new quantum-based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems are set to be part of a larger solution to providing a resilient navigation that complements space-based navigation and timing systems. This could help ensure that critical transport systems and infrastructure can operate without disruption.
Infleqtion, a quantum technology firm supported through the UKRI Technology Missions Fund, in collaboration with aerospace companies BAE Systems and QinetiQ, completed the trials at Ministry of Defence Boscombe Down in Wiltshire in May 2024.These tests are the first time that this sort of ground-breaking technology has been tested in the UK on an aircraft in flight. They are also the first such flights worldwide that have been publicly acknowledged.
UKRI Technology Missions Fund
The UKRI Technology Missions Fund is designed to exploit the UK’s global leadership in transformative technologies to help solve specific problems, whilst also helping cement that leading position. Overall, UKRI is investing £320 million in Technology Missions to enable new and existing capabilities and capacity in artificial intelligence, engineering biology, future telecommunications and quantum technologies in the years 2023 to 2025 and beyond.
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