Scottish quantum start-up Quantcore wins IOP qBIG prize
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Quantum Quantum News Scottish quantum start-up Quantcore wins IOP qBIG prize 17 Jun 2026 Michael Banks From left to right: Stuart Nicol, Quantum Exponential; Wridhdhisom Karar, Quantcore; Louis Barson, Institute of Physics; and Wenmiao Yu, IOP qBIG group (courtesy: IOP) The Glasgow-based quantum hardware manufacturer Quantcore has been awarded the 2026 qBIG prize from the Institute of Physics (IOP). The annual prize, awarded by the IOP’s member-led quantum Business Innovation and Growth (qBIG) group, is given to a small or medium-sized company in the UK or Ireland for breakthroughs in the commercialization of quantum technologies. Quantcore is a spin-out from the University of Glasgow and is based at the university’s Advanced Research Centre. Quantcore builds the superconducting processors, resonators and sensors used in quantum computers and certain sensing systems. The firm uses niobium-based components, which can operate at higher temperatures than materials currently used in quantum computers. The firm recently received £2.5m in seed funding from several backers. The qBIG award, now in its fourth year, is sponsored by the UK-based venture capital firm Quantum Exponential and includes a £10,000 cash prize as well as mentoring from Quantum Exponential and business support from the IOP. The award was presented yesterday in London at the Economist Commercialising Quantum 2026 event. Accepting the prize on behalf of the company, Quantcore chief executive officer Jack Brennan says he is “delighted” to win the award. “The previous winners are a great example of up-and-coming quantum companies, and it’s a privilege to be part of that list,” he says. “A huge thanks to the qBIG group for choosing Quantcore, and a huge thanks to my fantastic team for working so hard to build the company.” Delta.g wins IOP’s qBIG prize for its gravity sensors Read more Two runners up were commended by the IOP. One is Mater-AI, which develops thermoelectric materials for energy conversion and cooling. The other is Skydiamond, which produces lab-grown diamonds that can be used in quantum computing as a material for creating qubits. “The UK quantum industry is going from strength to strength – and is becoming a major growth engine,” says Louis Barson, IOP’s director of science, business & education. “The qBIG prize is all about celebrating the strong pipeline of new physics-powered quantum innovators like Quantcore coming through – and giving them a platform to help accelerate that growth.” Want to read more? Registration is free, quick and easy Note: The verification e-mail to complete your account registration should arrive immediately. However, in some cases it takes longer. Don't forget to check your spam folder. If you haven't received the e-mail in 24 hours, please contact customerservices@ioppublishing.org. E-mail Address Register Michael Banks is news editor of Physics World magazine Back to Quantum Physics World Quantum Briefing 2.0 Read our free digital issue of the Physics World Quantum Briefing today. Read previous Lodha Foundation unveils plans for India’s first privately funded physics institute Scientific enterprise News Discover more from Physics World Quantum Blog Quantum influencers gather to celebrate London’s role in quantum tech Optical physics Research update Sunlight can produce correlated pairs of photons Quantum mechanics Blog Experiment that may or may not disprove Bohmian mechanics continues to spark debate Related jobs China | Wilczek Quantum Center Assistant, Associate or Full Professor - Theoretical Quantum Physics, Wilczek Quantum Center at SIAS United Kingdom | IonQ Quantum Scientist New York City | City College of New York Postdoctoral Positions in Quantum Sensing and Integrated Photonics Related events Quantum | Workshop Emergent Gauge Theories: Bridging Quantum Matter, Quantum Information, and Fundamental Interactions 1—19 June 2026 | Dresden, Germany Quantum | Exhibition Quantum.Tech World 25—26 June 2026 | Boston, US Quantum | Workshop Engineered Strongly Interacting Lattice Models with Atomic Quantum Simulators 29 June — 3 July 2026 | Dresden, Germany Copyright © 2026 by IOP Publishing Ltd and individual contributors