INDUSTRY & INNOVATION IN-BRIEF
From curiosity to capability: taking quantum beyond the lab
For decades, physicists have dreamed of a quantum internet: a planetary web of ultrasecure communications and super-powered computation, built from the connections between particles of light.
This quantum connectivity is possible through entanglement; a shared quantum state where neither particle has an independent state, only in combination. Devices that deliver entanglement connectivity exist beyond the lab, but they are in their infancy in capability and robustness.
Now a team of our researchers is focused on building the foundations for others to construct quantum networks, using the same fibre networks that power today’s internet. The Intertangle hardware is developing scalable and robust photonic systems to generate and measure pairs of entangled light particles, the essential building blocks of quantum connectivity. In simple terms, it enables the creation and control of the combined link between photons that’s not just secure but also enables entirely new ways of transmitting and processing information.
The first real-world test of the Intertangle hardware was at BT’s leading research centre, Adastral Park. Unboxed, and out of the lab’s carefully controlled environment, without vibration isolation, temperature monitoring or precise alignment – it worked.
This wasn’t just a prototype test, it was the start of a real-world conversation; with optical network engineers, specialists in integration and operations, and those shaping commercial strategy.
The next stage, supported by UK Research and Innovation’s Proof of Concept Programme, helps to advance and validate the prototype, aligning it with industry needs and refining a route to market.
In research, success is about novelty and performance. In technology development, it’s about reliability, usability, and how the research aligns with the priorities of the industry that will use it. Quantum networking will not arrive overnight, but we are a step closer to a product, and company, of the future.
Quantum networking will not arrive overnight, but we are a step closer to a product, and company, of the future.
Intertangle’s support includes Innovate UK ICURe Programme, UKRI EPSRC Photonics & Quantum Accelerator, Scottish Enterprise High-growth Spinout Programme, and UKRI Proof of Concept.
Leading the way in light-based technologies
Our photonics research is transforming industries, advancing healthcare and sustaining high-value innovation in the UK.
Photonics, the study of light and its many applications, is a cornerstone of technological progress that is transforming industries.
At Heriot-Watt, photonics research drives solutions to some of society’s most immediate challenges, from enabling faster and more secure data transmission to advanced imaging techniques and ultra-precision laser surgery. This is world-leading and long-standing expertise, recognised by the prestigious Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2021 for pioneering research in photonics.
Our photonics research explores the potential of light in five areas: novel light sources, high-power laser applications, photonic sensing and measurement, nanophotonics, and biomedical photonics. This work not only advances scientific understanding, it delivers real-world benefits. High-power lasers enhance manufacturing precision, while photonic sensors enable advanced environmental monitoring and medical diagnostics.
Through partnerships with global industrial and research organisations, our experts are developing technologies that already improve efficiency, precision and sustainability. Our work in nanophotonics is enabling ultra-compact photonic devices that redefine imaging and telecommunications; our biomedical photonic research can transform healthcare, providing tools for earlier diagnosis, personalised treatments, and minimally invasive surgeries.
Researchers at Heriot-Watt and the University of Edinburgh on the u-Care project have shown how deep-ultraviolet, ultrashort-pulsed lasers interact with soft biological tissue. These lasers can remove tissue in slices as thin as 10 micrometres, far finer than the millimetre-scale precision currently possible in neurosurgery.
Breakthroughs in photonics led to the formation of one of the university’s most successful ever spinouts. Optoscribe Ltd supplied advanced optical mode-manipulation technologies for applications including space-division-multiplexed telecommunications and photonic sensing. Following its acquisition by Intel in 2022, Optoscribe’s technology and team were integrated into Intel’s operations in Livingston, sustaining high-value employment and photonics capability in the UK.
These lasers can remove tissue in slices as thin as
micrometres
The multidisciplinary u-Care project is funded by UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Research‑led innovation in tall‑building drainage design
Drainage system failure in tall buildings - those greater than 20 storeys - is a persistent and under-addressed problem, often leading to odour ingress, system malfunction - and the potential spread of air contaminated with bacteria, viruses and chemicals.
Despite increasing global construction of high‑rise buildings, no dedicated design guide for tall building drainage currently exists.
Underpinning research, undertaken at Heriot-Watt since 2019, has now developed a novel risk assessment and design framework for sanitary drainage systems in tall buildings.
This addresses that critical gap by providing evidence‑based tools, guidance, and products that improve system resilience, safety, and performance. It responds directly to needs identified by built‑environment professionals, designers, developers and regulators.
The research culminated in TM70 Tall Building Drainage Design, the first dedicated global design guide for tall building drainage systems, published and disseminated globally by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) in 2025. TM70 is being adopted by the British Standards Institute (BSI) and the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) for inclusion in updates of BSEN 12056-2 with further adoption expected by the International Code Council (ICC) for international standards.
Commercially, the research has generated multiple patents, supporting new product development and market activity. One patent licensed to Aliaxis Ltd, a global leader in fluid and air management solutions, has led to the development of a new product, in the final stages of testing before market launch and installation in tall buildings across the globe.
Aliaxis is a long-standing collaborator in the commercial translation of this research, making available the tallest - at 127.5 metres high - and most advanced computer-controlled drainage testing rig in the world, hosted in the National Lift Tower in Northampton.
An alliance that has generated impact across industry practice, commercial product development, and standards development – as well as saving lives.
The world’s first dedicated global design guide for tall-building drainage is helping improve safety, resilience and performance.
Aliaxis Ltd has supported and funded research projects since 2019 totalling over £2 million.
