Glasgow’s Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics (CAP) has secured £8 million in fresh funding from the UK Government to fuel the next wave of breakthroughs in photonics and quantum technologies.

The investment, provided by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, will support the Centre’s research and development over the next four years, building on a previous £2 million handed out by DSIT earlier this year for capital equipment.

The cash injection will allow the Centre, based at the University of Strathclyde, to continue its work creating advanced laser and optical systems that address challenges across sectors such as space, defence, healthcare, and renewable energy.

Since being established in 2012, the Centre claims to have delivered more than 300 projects for over 200 industrial partners, working alongside Strathclyde Uni through a formal joint appointment with its Institute of Photonics and a number of strategic collaborative projects.

Leveraging this support, the German-headquartered Fraunhofer CAP reports generating more than ten times its value in applied research activity, focused on doctoral training and early-stage technology development. 

The latest funding will ramp up those efforts, complementing the Centre’s £1.3 million in annual support from the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise, plus a one-off payment of £800,000 secured last year to develop its work in growing markets.

“We are extremely pleased to accept this important support from the UK Government. Over the last nine years, backing from Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise has been invaluable,” said Simon Andrews, executive director of Fraunhofer UK Research.

“In the last year alone, our team delivered more than £6 million of applied R&D projects for industry. This new funding will enable us to meet growing demand for our expertise in photonics and quantum technologies.”

The funding comes as part of a package announced earlier this week, which will see the UK deepen its research ties with Germany in an effort to gain an edge in the quantum race.

Along with backing for Fraunhofer’s Glasgow site, DSIT laid out plans for a further £6 million of joint funding for quantum R&D, with Innovate UK and its German sister organisation contributing £3 million each.

The government also announced it would allocate up to £3.9 million to match fund UK participation across three open European High Performance Computing (EuroHPC) Calls to help British teams develop exascale, AI-ready software in areas of national importance in collaboration with European computing centres.  

The announcements continued with the signing of a fresh MOU between the UK’s National Physical Laboratory and Germany’s Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, as part of a global effort to develop shared quantum standards.

The quantum partnership with Europe’s de facto leader could prove a strategically valuable step in Labour’s efforts to undo some of the worst effects of Brexit. 

Recent reports suggest prime minister Keir Starmer is eyeing a closer trading relationship with the EU in his search for economic growth, a move that could prove critical as the party faces a surge in support for Nigel Farage’s Reform.