Singapore's quantum technologies ecosystem

Singapore's National Quantum Strategy (NQS) is a national research and innovation strategy for developing and deploying quantum technologies. It was announced by the National Research Foundation (NRF) chairman on 30 May 2024 and is funded with close to S$300 million over five years from the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 plan (CQT, 30 May 2024). The allocation covers a strategy and ecosystem rather than a universal grant: access to a programme or scholarship depends on the relevant call, institution, partnership and eligibility rules. Quantum technologies here include computing and simulation, quantum communication and security, sensing and metrology, and the enabling hardware and software needed to make those capabilities useful (CQT, accessed Aug 2026).

National Quantum Office and strategy governance

The National Quantum Office (NQO) is the programme office that manages and coordinates quantum research, innovation and enterprise activities in Singapore. The NQO was established in 2022, is hosted by ASTAR, and is supported by NRF; its role is therefore coordination and programme implementation, not the same as being the NRF policy department or an ASTAR research institute (NQO factsheet, 27 May 2024). The NQS has four linked thrusts: scientific excellence, engineering capabilities, talent, and innovation and enterprise partnerships (CQT, 30 May 2024). This division matters when interpreting announcements: NRF supplies national RIE policy and funding context, NQO coordinates the quantum portfolio, and research performers and industry partners carry out particular projects.

Centre for Quantum Technologies as the flagship centre

The Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) began at the National University of Singapore in 2007 as Singapore's first Research Centre of Excellence. Under the NQS, it became a flagship national research centre from the start of 2025, with a role to coordinate research talent across Singapore while continuing investigator-led research and training (CQT, accessed Aug 2026). CQT has nodes or research groups across NUS, NTU, SUTD and ASTAR; it is therefore nationally networked even though it is hosted by NUS. Its research spans quantum communication and security, quantum processors, computation and simulation, quantum sensing and metrology, advanced instruments, and basic science (CQT, accessed Aug 2026). CQT's flagship status does not mean that every Singapore quantum project is a CQT project or that CQT replaces university and ASTAR research roles.

National quantum programmes

The NQS is implemented through national-level programmes that connect research capability to engineering and industry use. CQT identifies the National Quantum-Safe Network (NQSN) as a public-private testbed for quantum communications; the National Quantum Computing Hub (NQCH) as a joint initiative with ASTAR's Institute of High Performance Computing and the National Supercomputing Centre Singapore; the National Quantum Federated Foundry (NQFF) as a quantum-device microfabrication platform hosted at ASTAR's Institute of Materials Research and Engineering; and the National Quantum Processor Initiative (NQPI) as an effort to build local capability to design and develop quantum processors (CQT national programmes, accessed Aug 2026). These names describe different capability layers—networking, computing access and applications, fabrication, and processor development—so they should not be collapsed into one generic “quantum computer programme.”

Talent, companies and how to interpret the funding

The NQS includes the National Quantum Scholarships Scheme (NQSS), intended to attract and develop quantum talent, alongside engineering and company-partnership measures (NQO factsheet, 27 May 2024). The strategy's close-to-S$300-million figure is a five-year national allocation for the NQS under RIE2025, recorded for the 2024–2029 strategy period; it is not a per-company entitlement, a single research-centre budget, or a measure of all private quantum investment (CQT, 30 May 2024). Companies, researchers and students should use the current NQO, CQT, university or programme notice for application routes and live eligibility. General RIE governance and economy-wide R&D statistics remain separate layers covered in research policy and funding and R&D statistics.