The Danish quantum research community is excited to hear that the new accelerator start-up program at Deep Tech Lab – Quantum has announced the first six companies to take part as a cohort.
BII, an international non-profit foundation incubating and accelerating world-class life science research, made the announcement yesterday (November 30) about how the companies will enter with a common goal - to propel emergent and disruptive quantum science solutions.
NATO's innovation fund
The Deep Tech Lab – Quantum is an independent accelerator operated by BII. Six companies have been selected, as the first, to enter NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), which will be the inaugural program to run as part of Denmark’s contribution to the initiative. The initiative has close ties to NATO’s newly launched innovation fund through which it is expected to fund early-stage start-ups with up to 1 billion euros over a 15-year timeframe.
The six start-up companies will gain access to a network of top-tier trusted investors, business mentorship, education from expert staff, and state-of-the-art testing opportunities in BII’s office space and laboratories.
The six companies that have been selected as the initial cohort to enter the Deep Tech Lab – Quantum accelerator is made up of Astrolight, a company that uses high-speed lasers to connect earth and space by uncovering unprecedented capabilities for satellite connectivity and deep space exploration.
Quantum technology
The others include Aquark Technologies is a spin-out from the University of Southampton that provides portability and miniaturization solutions for quantum technology applications, g2-Zero is developing single photon sources which are purely electrical, vibration-resistant, and alignment-free, QUBITRIUM offer solutions to problems in quantum cryptography, communication, and quantum sensing.
Additionally Phantom Photonics – is developing a quantum-enhanced 3D imaging sensor that improves the range, resolution, power consumption, and acquisition time over state-of-the-art devices while SECQAI is creating leading Quantum & Classical Hardware and Algorithms, to defend and protect against threats.
Jens Nielsen is chief executive officer of BioInnovation Institute and Deep Tech Lab – Quantum.
Prominent forces in the science ecosystem
He said: “We are honored to be driving the Deep Tech Lab – Quantum accelerator alongside such prominent forces in the science ecosystem. This initial cohort of start-ups has been selected to join the newly launched DIANA program, as they demonstrate huge potential to drive much-needed innovative solutions to some of the major challenges of today.”
BII was appointed earlier this year by the Danish government to operate the accelerator by using its current program model in commercializing innovative new dual-use technologies that can address both societal problems and national security issues, such as new radar technologies or communication technologies based on quantum science.
Danish quantum research community
Cathal Mahon, chief business officer at Deep Tech Lab-Quantum added: “We are looking forward to working with the first cohort of quantum technology-based start-ups selected by DIANA. We have already identified several opportunities for direct collaborations between the start-ups and the Danish quantum research community.
“The solutions presented by these companies hold the potential to benefit our society in multiple ways; for example, in our need for better and more secure communications systems, which is of prime importance for both civilian and for security applications.”
BII will operate the new accelerator in close collaboration with academia and industry organizations to seek out novel, cutting-edge technological solutions. It will take advantage of Denmark’s strong innovation ecosystem within quantum science, such as the newly launched NATO Center for Quantum Technology at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, to develop commercially viable start-up companies within deep tech and quantum science.