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INTERVIEW UK QUANTUM FUNDING


Quantum sensors: Unlocking supreme precision and satellite-free navigation


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Skylark Lasers is developing lasers for quantum gravity sensors that will unlock a plethora of capabilities and applications


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arlier this year, Edinburgh-based Skylark Lasers was awarded £2.34 million in investment from Innovate UK to help it develop next-


generation laser technology for quantum- enabled navigation and time-keeping systems. The figure forms almost 10% of the £25 million available from Innovate UK’s quantum-enabled positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition fund. The fund is intended to support quantum technology companies establish and scale the production of quantum capabilities to accelerate advancements in the autonomous navigation of shipping vessels and provide next-generation navigational precision to tankers on the open seas, where GPS and satellite navigation are currently insufficient. Electro Optics sat down with Dr Ben


Szutor, CEO of Skylark, to learn more about the firm’s plans for the funding, the technology under development, and the benefits of being part of the UK’s thriving quantum ecosystem.


Congratulations on securing the funding, this must be a very exciting time for the firm! It certainly is. I’ve been with the company for five years after initially joining as a researcher while finishing my PhD, and this is the most exciting position we’ve ever been in. Our team is growing and it’s all looking very positive for us right now. We were founded in 2013, back when the


firm was operating more as a workshop than anything else. Then, 18 months ago, the company went through a restructuring and rebranding process, from UniKLasers to Skylark Lasers. This restructuring and subsequent funding from private and public investment will now allow us to


www.electrooptics.com Dr Ben Szutor, CEO of Skylark Lasers


commercialise our products and get them out of our lab into the hands of industry. This has marked a new beginning for us, with the size of the firm having more than doubled since then. We’ve also introduced new products and positioned ourselves alongside the field of quantum, with our lasers being identified for application in everything from quantum sensors, to quantum computing and cryptography.


What led to Skylark applying for this funding – how will it be put to use? We are particularly passionate about quantum sensing, especially due to the short term applicability of these systems. Sensors for PNT cover everything from those evaluating underwater or


underground structures for holes and pressure points, to those used for advanced navigation and timekeeping. This is why Innovate UK’s Quantum-Enabled PNT Small Business Research Initiative appealed, as it is designed to support the commercialisation of such sensors and lead to real-life applications of this technology. While the lasers we currently build are


standalone lasers, this funding has allowed us to launch a collaborative project in which we’ll create a more integrated rack-mounted system offering multiple lasers and a range of features to make it a turnkey, versatile solution for different sensing applications. Together with three subcontractors, we’ll deliver this laser system and trial it in a quantum technology (QT) gravity gradiometer.


October 2023 Electro Optics 21


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