On February 28, 2024, the UK Regulatory Horizons Council (RHC) published an independent report titled “Regulating Quantum Technology Applications,” commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as part of the National Quantum Strategy. The report set out a pro-innovation approach to regulating quantum technologies and included 14 recommendations organized across three themes.
The report proposed that regulation should target quantum-related products and processes rather than the platform technology itself, using Technology Readiness Levels as indicators to inform the timeliness of different regulatory interventions. It recommended application-specific regulatory frameworks led by sectoral regulators, standards development and international collaboration, and innovation funding mechanisms including regulatory sandboxes and testbeds.
Minister for Science, Research and Innovation Andrew Griffith welcomed the report in a letter to the RHC Chair, Professor Christopher Hodges, confirming that the Office for Quantum would respond in detail to the recommendations. The report noted that premature legal regulation could be difficult to adapt as quantum technologies mature, and recommended that non-binding governance tools such as standards and guidelines should be used at earlier technology readiness stages.
The RHC is an independent expert committee that provides government with impartial advice on regulatory reform required to support the rapid and safe introduction of technological innovation. The government published its formal response to the report’s recommendations in October 2024.