NQCC Industrial DLA Account - University of Oxford 2025

Oxford will train the next generation of quantum computing specialists through a new doctoral training account funded by the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre. The UK faces a severe shortage of people who can build, program, and maintain quantum computers. These machines promise to solve problems that are impossible for today’s supercomputers, but the country cannot exploit that potential without a skilled workforce. This grant addresses that gap by funding PhD students who will learn both the fundamental science of quantum systems and the practical engineering needed to turn laboratory experiments into working machines. If the training succeeds, the UK will have a pipeline of experts ready to work in quantum hardware, software, and applications. These graduates could eventually help design new drugs by simulating molecules, optimise logistics networks, or improve financial modelling. They might also strengthen the supply chains for cryogenic equipment and control electronics that quantum computers depend on. The project is primarily a skills investment rather than a specific research programme, but without such training, the UK risks falling behind in a technology that could reshape computing, communications, and national security.