The UK government has partnered with the rest of the G7 and Australia to boost quantum technology development.

The agreement – NMI-Q – will see international institutes focused on metrology, the study of measurements, work together to centralise measurements and develop standards of quantum computers.

The US and the UK will co-chair the first term of the NMI-agreement, which was announced by Science Minister Lord Vallance at the National Physical Laboratory.

“The UK is setting the pace for the development of engineering biology and quantum technologies,” Lord Vallance said at the opening of the Reference Biofundry, a government-funded facility research in the life sciences.

“Our new, cutting-edge Reference Biofoundry and strong global partnerships will fast-track innovators’ ideas onto the market to boost our economy. It will bring in the private investment that their ideas will attract.

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“We need initiatives like these to drive excellence and international standards that ensure technological progress continues, from quantum medical scanners for hospitals to engineering biology giving us new ways of recycling.

“By investing in this vital infrastructure, the UK will continue to lead in innovation that we all benefit from.”

Earlier in October, the G7 and Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the NMI-Q, with the goal of enabling responsive and innovative approaches to standardisation.