A University of Edinburgh spinout company has made a quantum leap in its growth trajectory after taking part in a South Korean tech conference.
Quantum Software Lab, a cutting-edge research facility for quantum software development and end-user applications, used Quantum Korea 2024 to boost its international credentials.
The firm, which specialises in developing and validating real world use cases for quantum computing, was one of five British companies travelling to the showcase event in Goyang.
The trip was part of the UK government-backed UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme initiative run by Intralink, a business development consultancy.
Craig Skeldon, head of business & operations at Quantum Software Lab, said: “Our attendance at Quantum Korea provided us with an excellent opportunity to learn more about recent scientific advancements and technology development, to make new connections, and to identify meaningful ways of establishing international cooperation.”
The conference led to more than 35 meetings with Korean corporations and R&D institutes to discuss future collaboration with the five British firms, which included Cavero Cybersecurity, a cybersecurity spinout from Leeds University, Oxford-based Element and Oxford Instruments, and Cambridge’s Wave Photonics.
All five companies are participating in the UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme, which provides free and subsidised support to technology companies aspiring to enter one or more of 11 markets: South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.
Jeremy Shaw, who heads the UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme, said: “The APAC region represents a huge opportunity for innovative UK tech companies as many of the countries are playing catch-up in key technology areas and this is driving their need for partnerships and collaboration.
“The success achieved by the companies we’re supporting shows what’s possible and we encourage other UK tech companies with relevant technologies to sign up for the programme so we can support their first steps into APAC.”
According to Intralink, the Korean government has recently earmarked £14 billion for R&D projects spanning artificial intelligence, bioengineering and quantum computing. This investment demonstrates that the market for these technologies will grow in the years ahead, spurring Korean corporations to secure further technology collaborations and expertise exchanges with overseas companies, including those from the UK.
The Quantum Korea trip follows SEMICON Korea in February this year, during which seven UK companies with technologies in the semiconductor sector embarked on discussions with potential customers and partners.
And, in June, 10 UK tech scaleups with offerings in the net zero building field presented their technologies to one of Japan’s largest construction corporations, Shimizu, in another event organised by the UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme. As a result, four of the participating companies are now embarking on more detailed discussions with Shimizu.
