Centre for Quantum Technologies (NUS)
- Institution
- National University of Singapore
- Lab / Centre
- Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) · Research Centre of Excellence funded by NRF and MoE Singapore
- Location
- Singapore
- Group website
- https://www.cqt.sg/
- Group founded
- 2007
CQT is Singapore's National Research Foundation Research Centre of Excellence for quantum information, hosted at NUS and founded in 2007 under Artur Ekert. It is a multi-PI centre rather than a single-PI group: experimental QKD and entangled-photon sources (Christian Kurtsiefer), satellite quantum communications (Alexander Ling, who led the SpooQy-1 CubeSat and co-founded the SpeQtral spinout), foundations and device-independent cryptography (Valerio Scarani), and trapped-ion qubits and atomic clocks (Manas Mukherjee). Current thrust is the National Quantum-Safe Network and space-based QKD payloads.
Current focus: Five research thrusts aligned with Singapore's National Quantum Strategy — Per CQT's own framing (cqt.sg): (1) Quantum Communication & Security, (2) Quantum Processors, Computation & Simulation, (3) Quantum Sensing & Metrology, (4) Advanced Instruments, (5) Basic Science.
Milestones
- 2022-03 National Quantum-Safe Network (NQSN) launched in Singapore; CQT joins as a research partner press
- 2020-06 SpooQy-1 demonstrates polarisation-entangled photon pairs generated in low Earth orbit press
- 2019-06 SpooQy-1 deployed from ISS — first CubeSat-class entangled-photon source in orbit press
- 2017 SpeQtral spinout incorporated to commercialise CQT satellite-QKD technology press
- 2007-12 CQT designated Singapore's first Research Centre of Excellence by the National Research Foundation press
People
- José Ignacio Latorre — Director (since 2020-07) ↗
- Artur Ekert — Founding Director (emeritus) (since 2007) ↗
- Valerio Scarani — Principal Investigator — foundations and device-independent cryptography (since 2007) ↗
- Christian Kurtsiefer — Principal Investigator — experimental QKD and entangled-photon sources (since 2007) ↗
- Alexander Ling — Principal Investigator — satellite quantum communications (SpooQy-1 PI, SpeQtral co-founder) (since 2011) ↗
- Manas Mukherjee — Principal Investigator — trapped-ion qubits and atomic clocks (since 2011) ↗
- Hoi-Kwong Lo — Principal Investigator — QKD theory (MDI-QKD, TF-QKD, decoy-state security proofs); also Provost's Chair Professor, NUS Physics (2025-2028) (since 2025-10) ↗
Funding
- National Research Foundation Singapore (NRF) — Research Centre of Excellence — Core funding since 2007 RCE designation
- Ministry of Education Singapore (MoE) — Co-funder of the RCE programme
- National University of Singapore (NUS) — Host institution
- NRF Quantum Engineering Programme (QEP) — Funds the National Quantum-Safe Network and adjacent national platforms