Quantum Base lands £700,000 UK grant for authentication research
What's the deal? Quantum BaseDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → Holdings (AIM: QUBE) has been awarded a £700,000 non-dilutive grant through UK Research and InnovationDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s Future Leaders Fellowship programme. The money backs a four-year research initiative, Q-MAT, led by William Thom, head of materials science, running from November 1, 2026 to October 31, 2030, with an option to extend three more years.
What's the endgame? The programme — Next-Generation Quantum Materials for Intrinsic Authentication — aims to develop quantum materials underpinning Q-ID®, the company's patented authentication system. Q-ID® tags use atomic-level randomness to create markers the company describes as virtually impossible to duplicate.
Why now? The grant recovers roughly 70% of the costs of a research team already in the group's cost base. That lowers net operating costs while letting Quantum Base sustain or increase innovation spending, with no equity dilution for shareholders.
What's the context? UKRI's Future Leaders Fellowships, managed by Innovate UK, rank among the UK's most competitive research awards. The £700,000 sum sits in the lower range of funding rounds, reflecting its nature as a targeted research grant rather than a growth raise. Work will take place at Quantum Base's Lancaster facility, with all resulting intellectual property retained by the company.
What's next? Q-MAT aims to extend Q-ID® across new substrates — glass, metals, and polymers — potentially opening markets in high-tech manufacturing, aerospace components, and polymer banknotes. Quantum Base already serves brands, governments, and consumers, with authentication accessible via standard smartphones.
Chief executive officer Tom Taylor said the grant reflects "the robustness of the company's scientific capabilities and the commercial promise of its technology."
The signal: Non-dilutive public grants let deep-tech firms fund long-horizon research without tapping shareholders. For Quantum Base, the award offsets existing costs while advancing a pipeline that also includes Q-RAND®, a nanoscale quantum random number generator now at prototype stage.
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Image credit: Quantum Base
