Quantum Base awarded UKRI Grant

4 November 2026

Quantum Base Holdings plc

(“Quantum Base”, the “Company” or the “Group”)

  Quantum Base awarded UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship Grant

Quantum Base (AIM: QUBE), the quantum science company focused on creating a new global standard in authentication, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a UK Research and Innovation (“UKRI”) Future Leaders Fellowship Grant (the “Grant”), with Dr William Thom, Head of Materials Science at Quantum Base, receiving the Fellowship.

The Grant provides £0.7 million of non-dilutive funding to support a four-year research programme, led by Dr Thom, during the period 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2030, with the potential to be extended for a further three years.

Highlights

• £0.7 million of non-dilutive funding awarded through the highly competitive UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, supporting a four-year research programme titled ‘Next-Generation Quantum Materials for Intrinsic Authentication (Q-MAT)’ with the option for a further three-year extension.
• Funding is expected to recover approximately 70% of the cost of a dedicated research team already included within the Group's cost base, reducing net operating costs while increasing investment into innovation.
• The research programme will focus on developing the next generation of quantum materials underpinning Q-ID®, extending the technology across new substrates including glass, metals and polymers.
• Successful development could broaden the addressable market for Q-ID®, supporting entry into new applications including high-tech manufacturing, aerospace components, polymer banknotes and more.
• The research will be led by Dr Thom at Quantum Base’s Lancaster facility, with all intellectual property generated through the programme to be owned by the Company.
• Future Leaders Fellowships are awarded to outstanding researchers and innovators with the potential to become leaders in their field, representing a significant endorsement of Dr Thom, Quantum Base’s scientific platform and its research team.

The Grant is being made available by Innovate UK, part of UKRI. Innovate UK is the UK’s national innovation agency, aiming to drive productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential of new ideas.

Tom Taylor, CEO of Quantum Base, commented:

“We’re delighted to accept this Grant, which we believe to be a significant endorsement of both Dr Thom and the world-class research capability we have built at Quantum Base. The Future Leaders Fellowship is one of the UK's most competitive research programmes, and securing this funding reflects the strength of our science and the commercial potential of our technology.

“Importantly, the Grant provides £0.7 million of non-dilutive funding to support work that aligns directly with our long-term roadmap, enabling us to focus on developing the next generation of quantum materials that underpin Q-ID®, with the potential to extend our technology across new substrates and unlock a range of new applications and markets.

“As demand for our solution continues to grow, we believe this research will further strengthen our technological leadership and support the continued expansion of our commercial opportunity.”

ENDS

For further information, please contact:

About Quantum Base

Quantum Base is a quantum science company creating a new global standard in authentication through its patented Q-ID solution - unbreakable and non-replicable authenticity tags that can be applied to a vast array of products, significantly mitigating counterfeiting.

The technology underpinning Q-IDs harnesses randomness at the atomic level, and this volume and variation ensure that there is virtually an infinite number of combinations that can be created. The Q-ID is practically impossible to replicate using even the most advanced available technology.

Q-IDs can be applied to almost any print line and can be entirely non-intrusive to a product's existing design, meaning that they can be utilised in a vast number of end markets. The authentication process to identify printed tags is undertaken using existing and unmodified smartphone technology, providing easy authentication and proven security for global brands, governments and consumers.

The Group is also developing Q-RAND®, a nanoscale quantum random number generator, which has reached prototype stage.