AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- FormationQ today announced the launch of a new applied quantum program in collaboration with the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. Powered by IonQ-the world's leading quantum platform company-and its state-of-the-art trapped-ion quantum systems with world-record gate fidelity and all-to-all connectivity, the program will translate cutting-edge quantum research into practical, real-world applications while building an institutional ecosystem for long-term adoption.
The collaboration brings together the Cavendish Laboratory's scientific leadership and FormationQ's institutional and operational capabilities. The Cavendish Laboratory provides the scientific foundation, while FormationQ serves as the enabling platform and long-term operator, building the institutional pathways, governance, and continuity required to translate research into sustained real-world deployment. The program will leverage IonQ's quantum technologies spanning computing, networking, sensing, and security systems. IonQ's platforms provide participating researchers and teams with access to high-fidelity, scalable quantum hardware, enabling applied experimentation and system development that builds on laboratory demonstrations.
Quantum technologies are increasingly recognized as critical to science, security, medicine, and global systems. Yet despite rapid advances in research, adoption remains constrained by gaps in institutional readiness, business model innovation, workforce capability, and coordination across the broader quantum landscape. This partnership is intended to address those challenges by focusing on building the connective tissue-programmatic and organizational-that allows quantum technologies to move from laboratory discovery into credible, sustained use to address grand societal challenges.
Professor Mete Atatüre, Head of the Cavendish Laboratory, said: "Progress in quantum technologies requires strong collaborations and a constant dialogue between industry and academic research. This initiative, enabled by IonQ's advanced quantum systems, is a fantastic step in this direction and will help turn our quantum research into practical solutions by bringing the community together."
"Quantum's bottleneck isn't science-it's the ecosystem," said Nada Hosking, Founder and CEO of FormationQ. "Adoption demands scalable talent pipelines, interoperable institutions, and shared stewardship for long-term deployment. By uniting the Cavendish Laboratory's scientific excellence, FormationQ's operational backbone, and IonQ's industry-leading quantum technologies, we're finally constructing the bridges that turn today's quantum discoveries into tomorrow's practical revolutions."
The partnership will launch the Quantum Technologies Accelerated Alignment Initiative, a two-year applied program focused on translating quantum research into real-world solutions through structured application development and institutional integration, while strengthening coordination across the quantum ecosystem. The initiative will concentrate on three areas: enabling reliable use of quantum computing systems beyond the laboratory, building and testing connected quantum technologies for communications and sensing, and preparing industry and society to engage with emerging quantum capabilities. Each area will be led by an academic expert and supported by interdisciplinary research teams, pairing clearly defined challenges with open, collaborative project development to ensure alignment with real-world needs, while contributing to economic growth and societal wellbeing in a responsible manner.
By combining the Cavendish Laboratory's depth of scientific leadership and the expertise across departments of the University of Cambridge with FormationQ's operational and institutional approach, the partnership aims to support long-term impact across research translation, workforce readiness, and applied deployment.
About FormationQ
FormationQ is the enablement layer for global quantum adoption. The company builds the institutional pathways and collaborative structures that allow quantum technologies to move from frontier research into real-world use. Working with leading institutions and technology partners, FormationQ operates and sustains programs that support talent development, application formation, and ecosystem coordination in ways that can be governed, trusted, and sustained over time.
About the Cavendish Laboratory
For 150 years, the Cavendish Laboratory has been at the forefront of scientific discovery. Its state-of-the-art facilities are open to students, researchers, and industry partners from across the world. It works at the frontier of experimental and theoretical physics to tackle some of the most monumental challenges of our times, from climate change and sustainability to harnessing the quantum revolution, transforming global healthcare, and understanding the origins of life. The Cavendish Laboratory is a place of pioneering physics, where world-leading research and teaching happens.
Media Contacts
Olivia Jarrell
FormationQ
olivia.jarrell@formationq.com
formationq.com
Vanessa Bismuth
Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge
vanessa.bismuth@phy.cam.ac.uk
www.phy.cam.ac.uk
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