Mapping brain activity on the move 

The challenge | MRI can map the brain with exceptional precision and reveal structural damage. However, many neurological conditions leave no visible damage and instead disrupt electrical signals between brain cells. MRI cannot detect these changes. Instead, these require a rarely available, bulky magnetoencephalography (MEG) system. 

The innovation | Unlike conventional MEG systems, which require people to lie still, University of Nottingham spinout Cerca Magnetics has created a wearable MEG system. The lightweight system is worn like a helmet, allowing people to walk around during scans. 

It allows researchers to connect symptoms with real-time brain activity. This is helping locate regions responsible for seizures in epilepsy, revealing brain changes linked to concussion and capturing neural activity in dementia. 

The scanners are currently used by 19 research institutions across 12 countries, with UK and US clinical adoption in development. A battery-operated mobile version has been developed for the Ministry of Defence to deploy in the field.  

Breast cancer test reduces unnecessary chemo

The challenge | After breast cancer surgery, patients can wait up to four months for tests showing whether their cancer may return. Yet delaying chemotherapy by one month increases the risk of death by 13%.  

These genomic tests are also not always available, leaving oncologists to use standard clinical information to decide whether more treatment is needed. They may recommend chemotherapy as a precaution in case cancer cells remain.  As a result, around 30% of women with the most common breast cancer receive chemotherapy they do not need. 

The innovation | UK biotech company Digistain has created a low-cost test that delivers an accurate risk assessment within days, potentially saving lives, NHS costs and patients from unnecessary chemotherapy. 

Developed from Imperial College London research, its scanner combines spectroscopy with AI to rapidly assess tumour aggressiveness.  

Trials are currently under way in several NHS hospitals, and clinicians are using the test in 13 countries. The technology could eventually assess the recurrence risk for other cancers, too. 

Eye scanners to
cut NHS waiting lists

The challenge | Around 650,000 people are waiting for NHS eye care, and delays can put sight at risk. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) helps diagnose glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. However, these scanners are large, costly and usually limited to specialist clinics. This restricts access for patients, making it harder to monitor chronic conditions and creating long waiting lists.

The innovation | MedTech startup Siloton has developed a portable OCT scanner using quantum photonics. A chip smaller than a £1 coin replaces the mirrors, lenses and fibres inside conventional machines, vastly shrinking the size of the scanner. 

These smaller scanners could bring hospital-grade eye checks into local clinics, waiting rooms, homes and remote communities. Home monitoring could spot changes earlier, speed treatment and reduce unnecessary hospital visits. One analysis estimates potential NHS savings of about £1.5 billion each year.  

As the chips can be mass-produced like smartphone components, manufacturing costs could also be up to ten times lower. 

No-dig detection of
underground hazards

The challenge | Detecting underground hazards such as pipes, cables, sinkholes and drainage often requires time-consuming and disruptive digging. It means major construction projects from house building to rail links need to budget for remedial work in case buried problems are missed. 

The innovation | University of Birmingham spin-out Delta g has developed a quantum-enabled sensor that can accurately identify underground hazards without diggers. The non-invasive sensor is also faster and reaches greater depths. 

It has the potential to reduce costs and delays for numerous industries, including those involved with road, rail and construction. The company is currently working with Network Rail to improve track maintenance and reduce passenger delays. 

Camera that ‘sees’ gas leaks

The challenge | When oil and coal is extracted, leaks of methane gas – a major contributor to climate change – often occur. These need to be captured or flared off, but tracking escapes across sprawling energy sites can be difficult and costly to detect. 

Conventional gas cameras work over short distances and often depend on people to monitor equipment and sources of leak. 

The innovation | QLM Technology has developed a cost-effective, quantum-enabled camera that detects gas leaks and measures plume size from up to 200 metres away. This wider reach could help operators find escaping methane faster, cutting waste and reducing emissions. 

An early partnership with global oilfield services company SLB (Schlumberger) accelerated QLM’s route to market. Following successful trials, the US Environmental Protection Agency approved the technology for oil and gas facilities nationwide. In the UK, Severn Trent Water has used it to identify biogas leaks at treatment sites. 

Reducing dependence
on satellite signals

The challenge | Satellite signals play a vital role in the industries and services critical to our society, economy and security. They underpin everything from sat-navs and shipping navigation to flight safety and military operations.  

However, these signals are vulnerable to jamming, spoofing, solar storms and system failures. They are also unreliable underground, underwater and inside buildings. 

The innovation | Southampton-based Aquark Technologies is developing cold-atom instruments for precise positioning, navigation and timing without the need for satellite signals.  

Its AQlock, the first commercially available atomic clock designed and built in the UK, cools atoms near absolute zero for exceptionally accurate timekeeping. Trials with the Royal Navy and Royal Tank Regiment show its potential to protect critical transport and defence systems.  

Turning radio signals into intelligence

The challenge | Radio signals are essential to modern communications, navigation and monitoring systems. Jamming, fake signals and crowded airwaves can disrupt operations, putting people and equipment at risk. Operators need to spot threats and interference fast. But current systems often rely on bulky antennas, especially at lower frequencies, which limits their use on the move and in tight spaces.

The innovation | Infleqtion is developing a compact, mobile quantum radio system to pinpoint signals accurately and help operators make sense of complex radio environments. This uses a quantum sensing approach to detect radio signals using optical techniques instead of conventional antennas.

The technology could reduce reliance on large antennas and enable compact, broadband and passive sensing. Its smaller size could bring this capability to vehicles and other platforms that cannot accommodate bulky equipment. That could give operators a clearer picture of threats, helping them make more informed decisions and act faster.