Quantum Australia says programs worth AUD $83.1 million

Quantum Australia has released independent modelling that values its national programs at AUD $83.1 million. The assessment also found the organisation helped establish 15 new quantum companies over the past two years.

Prepared by consultancy Avant Group, the modelling measured net present value over five years. The total includes grant and industry funding mobilised, private investment leveraged, and commercial contracts signed through Quantum Australia's programs during the two-year period.

The figures add to a broader set of operating data on the organisation's activities. These include 110 industry-research partnerships and more than AUD $50 million in grant funding linked to quantum use cases across sectors including healthcare, logistics, secure communications, and computing.

According to the data, the programs generated a direct return of AUD $2.15 for every AUD $1 invested, rising to as much as AUD $6.87 when wider economic effects are included. Quantum Australia also reported more than AUD $56 million in industry-linked research, 50 funded projects, and 66 supported use cases.

Startup pipeline

A central part of the announcement was the expansion of its startup pipeline. The number of startups established and supported through Quantum Australia's programs rose to 15, from six five months earlier.

Six early-stage ventures were highlighted as examples of businesses emerging from that pipeline. They included FeBI Technologies, which is developing a quantum sensing tool to measure a patient's iron status, and QFactorial, which applies quantum methods to freight, logistics, and mining operations.

SpaceCoLAB was also among the ventures presented, with a system designed to send data as quantum states so interception can be detected. Another company in the group, Quantum Lock, is working on methods to verify whether devices in critical infrastructure systems have been tampered with.

The remaining ventures were Gridstate and Cirnetiq. Gridstate is developing a module to help photonic quantum computers correct errors quickly enough to operate reliably at scale, while Cirnetiq is building amplifiers to strengthen very faint signals inside quantum computers and other sensitive equipment.

The six companies came from the first cohort of Quantum Australia's NextQ program, a 20-week accelerator focused on moving ventures from technical validation toward commercial and investor readiness. NextQ builds on its earlier NewQ pre-accelerator, which focuses on market validation.

National setting

The results come as Australia tries to turn long-standing research strengths in quantum science into commercial businesses. Government policy has placed greater emphasis on the sector, and the country's National Quantum Strategy sets an ambition for Australia to become a global leader in quantum technology by the end of the decade.

Separate industry figures cited by Quantum Australia indicate the country has more than 40 quantum-related businesses, 26 dedicated quantum research organisations, and more than 60 academic research groups. Australia also ranks fifth globally for quantum talent capacity, according to the same assessment.

Public backing for the field has also grown. The Australian and Queensland governments have committed AUD $940 million to support development of a utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer in Brisbane by PsiQuantum.

Quantum Australia said it has built a national community of practice of 4,100 people across industry, research, government, and investment. It also reported that 41 international organisations are exploring an Australian presence to access that network.

International links

The organisation also pointed to rising international interest in Australia's quantum sector. A Japanese delegation attended the startup showcase after Australia and Japan agreed a Memorandum of Cooperation on quantum science, technology, and innovation covering areas including research, investment, skills, and supply chains.

Quantum Australia also disclosed that it has established a new team in Canberra, based at the Australian National University. The move strengthens its presence in the capital as it coordinates activity across states and territories.

Petra Andrén, Chief Executive Officer of Quantum Australia, said: "Quantum Australia exists to connect researchers, entrepreneurs, industry, end-users, investors, and government to turn world-class science into ventures with the potential to solve real-world problems. Today we're seeing that investment begin to deliver measurable economic returns. These six companies are the result of more than two years of building Australia's quantum innovation pipeline. Australian quantum research is becoming Australian quantum companies, developing technologies for healthcare, critical infrastructure, logistics, and computing to solve real-world problems. The next challenge is maintaining that momentum through continued national coordination and sustained investment, ensuring these companies can scale in Australia, create jobs here, and compete globally."