NQCC Announces Appointment of Director

The National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC), which is being established with a £93 million investment by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced the appointment of Dr Michael Cuthbert as Director.

The NQCC is being established with a £93 million investment by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of the UK’s National Quantum Technologies Programme (NQTP), a ten-year, £1 billion initiative launched to accelerate the development of quantum technologies that will have a transformative impact on many areas of the economy and society.

Dr Cuthbert, appointed as Interim NQCC Director in February 2020, has led the centre through its startup phase, including its launch and publication of its strategic intent and will continue to lead work to establish the NQCC and realise its goal of developing a fully scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computer.

The centre will work with the thriving UK community of start-ups and components suppliers to develop a sustainable industry able to deliver the UK’s ambitions to be a quantum-enabled economy.

Prior to his appointment as interim director he was Business Development Director and Quantum Technologies Sector Lead at Oxford Instruments.

Dr Cuthbert said: “I am passionate about quantum computing and its potential to create positive impact on some of society’s biggest challenges, such as climate science and clean energy. I am delighted to have been appointed as Director and immensely proud to lead the NQCC forward as we move from launch to centre operations. I have no doubt the NQCC will have an important contribution to make to both the UK national programme and with our colleagues internationally.”

The centre is a joint initiative of UKRI’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). It will be based at STFC’s campus in Oxfordshire and is scheduled to be open and operational in early 2023.