Eastleigh-based Aquark Technologies, innovators in miniaturising deployable sensing and timing technologies based on cold atoms, today announced it has been awarded a €1.6 million (£1.4 million) contract by Innovate UK.
The contract will facilitate the future deployment of Aquark’s cold atom-based atomic clock, AQlock, at a major telecommunications site in the UK. NPL and Purbrook are subcontractors on the project, which will run until the end of March 2026.
“It is vital that we protect our telecoms – not just for the benefit of daily civilian life, but also for our national security and economy. It’s therefore an honour to work alongside Innovate UK to bring this project to life,” said Alexander Jantzen, COO and co-founder of Aquark Technologies.
According to EU-Startups coverage, there has been similar sector funding active across the continent.
In the Netherlands, QT Sense raised €6 million to advance its quantum-sensing platform for biomedical applications. Within the UK, Zero Point Motion secured €4.7 million in pre-Series A funding to develop ultra-sensitive inertial sensors for navigation, while QFX raised €2.2 million to expand its modular quantum hardware platform.
In the adjacent quantum computing domain, Phasecraft completed a €29 million Series B to accelerate algorithmic development.
Aquark’s government-backed contract therefore complements this pattern of public and private investment aimed at strengthening the UK’s and Europe’s leadership in practical, deployable quantum technologies.
“With AQlock 2, we will reduce the UK’s reliance on satellite signals that are vulnerable to jamming, spoofing, solar storms and more. This will help protect millions from the power outages, emergency services and supply chain disruption our networks are at risk of today, as well as address the huge economic losses that can occur as a result,” added Jantzen.
Founded in 2021, Aquark Technologies builds and delivers the “world’s smallest and most deployable” cold atom quantum hardware to enhance accuracy, precision, and stability in critical industry operations.
Building on deep knowledge in quantum, vacuum engineering, micro-fabrication and photonics, Aquark is dedicated to delivering robust, compact, and energy-efficient quantum hardware, and to making quantum devices more accessible and affordable, ready for use outside controlled lab environments in everyday applications.
AQlock enables distributed, GNSS-independent positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). As the project’s lead contractor, Innovate UK is supporting Aquark to demonstrate the product’s commercial readiness and showcase its capability to enhance the UK’s national critical infrastructure, including national network performance.
Innovate UK selected Aquark following its application for the competitive Contract for Innovation: Quantum Sensors and PNT Missions Primer. The collaboration follows several successful trials by Aquark with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the Royal Navy, as well as previous contracts with Innovate UK and a recent €2.1 million (£1.9 million) Future Leaders’ Fellowship.
Critical infrastructure, including navigation systems, data networks, communications, and power distribution centres, require precise timing and sensor systems that are compact, transportable, and robust.
According to the company, the systems currently available to meet these demands are costly, hard to integrate, and rely too heavily on many complex components and fragile supply chains. Aquark’s latest contract with Innovate UK is therefore a step towards preventing the estimated £1 billion daily economic losses associated with GNSS outages and contributes to the UK’s National Quantum Strategy goal to build quantum-powered infrastructure independent of satellite signals.
The company outlines that this project will deliver more robust telecommunications networks for millions across the UK, strengthening national infrastructure and solidifying the UK’s position as a leader in scalable quantum sensing solutions.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/aquark-technologies-secures-e1-6-million-innovate-uk-contract-to-advance-deployable-quantum-timing-systems/
