The Quantum Enterprise Hub will train a new generation of quantum engineers who can both design the technology and build the companies that sell it. The UK has world-leading quantum physics research, but industry consistently reports a shortage of graduates who can turn those physics insights into practical, manufacturable systems—people who understand budgets, deadlines, and how to talk to non-scientists. This Hub directly addresses that gap by combining the University of Bristol’s quantum engineering expertise with Cranfield University’s entrepreneurship and MBA programmes. Students and fellows will work on joint projects with industry partners, attend investor showcase events, and go on secondments, building networks alongside technical skills. If successful, the Hub will produce a steady pipeline of graduates who can accelerate the commercialisation of quantum technologies—from more secure communications and better medical sensors to improved navigation systems that work without GPS. The result would be a UK quantum industry that can actually deliver working products, not just publish papers.
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Our ambition is to build upon the already successful Quantum Engineering Centre for Doctoral Training (QE-CDT) at the University of Bristol and partner with Cranfield University's Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship to create a world-leading Hub to train entrepreneurially-minded quantum systems engineers ready for a career in the emerging Quantum Technology (QT) industry. The 'Quantum Enterprise Hub' has 3 key components: Quantum Systems Engineering; Enterprise, Entrepreneurship and Innovation; and Connectivity. The Hub will have unrivalled international excellence in Quantum Engineering, surrounded by world-class expertise in all areas of Systems Engineering and the scientific and technological application areas of QT at the University of Bristol. We will work in partnership with Cranfield University, whose internationally recognised MBA and Ventures Programme will provide the industrially relevant management, entrepreneurship, innovation, and design components of the Hub. Connectivity will be delivered through our network of partners, including the UK National Network of Quantum Technology Hubs, the award winning SETSquared Partnerships and EngineShed, and other academic and industrial partners, working on joint projects and secondments, networking events, Venture Days, investor showcase events, seminars, coaching and mentoring, and other events that will enable students to establish their own broad network of contacts. We have designed the Quantum Enterprise Hub in collaboration with a number of academic and industry experts, and included as partners those who will add substantially to the training experience of our students and fellows. Through this process, a consistent picture of the skills that industry requires for future quantum systems engineers has emerged: innovators who can tackle the hardest intellectual challenges and recognise the end goal of their research, with an ability to EP/N015061/1 Page 2 of 15 Date Saved: 06/07/2015 11:56:16 Date Printed: 06/07/2015 13:11:03 Academic Beneficiaries Describe who will benefit from the research [up to 4000 chars]. Impact Summary Impact Summary (please refer to the help for guidance on what to consider when completing this section) [up to 4000 chars] move from fundamental physics towards the challenges of engineering and developing practical systems, who understand the capabilities of other people (and why they are useful). Industry needs people with good decision-making, communication and management skills, with the ability to work across discipline boundaries (to a deadline and a budget) and build interdisciplinary teams, with the ability to translate a problem from one domain to another. Relevant work experience, knowledge of entrepreneurship, industrial R&D operations, and business practices are essential. We believe that the Quantum Enterprise Hub is something new and exciting with the potential to attract and train the best and brightest students and fellows to ensure that the resulting capacity is world-class and novel, thus providing real and lasting benefits to the UK economy.
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