Digital Catapult and NQCC Advance Third QTAP Cohort with Eleven Sector Leaders for UK Industrial Quantum Applications
Key Takeaways
Financial Services Debut: NatWest and CTA Fintech Solutions become the first banking participants, targeting fraud detection and legacy-to-cloud transaction optimisation.
Healthcare Modelling Focus: Health Innovation North West Coast applies quantum methods to diagnostic and treatment pathways for thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.
Dual Technical Streams: The cohort targets combinatorial optimisation and quantum machine learning through February 2027 with ORCA Computing hardware access.
Digital Catapult has welcomed eleven organisations to the third cohort of its Quantum Technology Access Programme (QTAP), delivered in collaboration with the National Quantum Computing Centre’s (NQCC) SparQ programme. The cohort includes NatWest, the Rail Safety and Standards Board, and Health Innovation North West Coast, marking the programme’s first expansion into financial services and banking operations while continuing work across defence, supply chains, logistics, transport, and infrastructure.
Quantum Use Cases Across Priority Sectors
QTAP provides UK organisations with structured training, expert guidance, and hands-on experimentation to move from concept to practical application. The latest cohort concentrates on two streams: combinatorial optimisation for logistics, resource allocation, and scheduling challenges, and quantum machine learning for advanced data analysis and pattern discovery. Participants gain access to ORCA Computing’s PT-2 quantum computer hosted at the NQCC.
The eleven participating organisations and their quantum use-case focus areas are summarised in the table below:
Organisation | Quantum Use Case Focus |
NatWest | Detect fraud and illicit activity across large transaction networks |
CTA Fintech Solutions | Cross-system optimisation of legacy-to-cloud financial and industrial transaction flows |
Health Innovation North West Coast | Diagnostic modelling, treatment pathways and outcome forecasting for thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) |
Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) | Quantum machine learning to enhance classification of how trains approach signals |
TCS Innovations | Refine underlying system parameters feeding its real-time logistics execution engine |
Bandarlog.dev | Quantum machine learning for early-stage anomaly detection in critical aerospace and transport assets |
Pixon Chemie | Quantum machine learning applied to molecular property databases for predictive screening of molecular candidates |
Dundi Corp | Variational quantum algorithms (QAOA) to reduce latency of multi-parametric feedback loops in semiconductor process control |
Archborn | Combinatorial optimisation of allocating and routing limited resources across a network of nodes with time-varying demand and risk |
Build Insite | Quantum optimisation for whole-building performance and engineering system design trade-offs |
PontePatros | Quantum machine learning for early prediction of retrofit failure and damp/mould recurrence from sparse sensor data |
Table: QTAP Third Cohort – Quantum Use Cases (Source: Digital Catapult, July 2026)
Commercial Pathways and Industrial Alignment
The programme supports the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy by demonstrating quantum applications across high-growth sectors and building sovereign capability. Previous cohorts included Vodafone, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, the Port of Dover, and the UK Atomic Energy Authority. Running until February 2027, the third cohort aims to generate commercial partnerships and collaborative projects that translate experimental results into operational value.
Digital Catapult Director of Technology Strategy Paul Ceely noted that quantum computing is demonstrating industrial value and that bridging experts, technologists, and industry leaders is essential for commercial translation. NQCC Deputy Director for Innovation Dr Simon Plant emphasised that the cohort reflects growing industry confidence and the need to build expertise, evidence, and partnerships for responsible adoption. Continued collaboration with the NQCC and technical partner ORCA Computing underpins the pathway from deep-tech experimentation to scalable commercial reality across the UK economy.
Bottom Line
The third QTAP cohort expands practical quantum experimentation across UK industry through national testbed access and dual technical streams.
Find out more here.
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Further articles, reports, and the latest quantum computing news may be found at The Qubit Report.
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