GCRI · Quantum Technologies
Responsible quantum innovation
Quantum technologies raise questions of security, equity, dual use and honesty about what they can do. Export controls restrict trade in some quantum items, a few countries and firms hold most capability, and inflated claims can misdirect public money. This page sets out the governance questions quantum innovation raises, how they are being addressed, and what evidence serves the governments, funders and researchers shaping it.
How the work runs.
Post-quantum migration tracker
Responsible quantum innovation · Crypto inventory · Wave 4
Migration
- Inventoryall crypto
- Prioritisedata lifetime
- Selectstandard algorithms
- Hybrid deployclassical and PQC
- Testinterop
- Cut overretire
Systems by priority
| Archive signing | RSA-2048 | 18 | ML-DSA hybrid | Piloting |
| VPN gateway | ECDH | 10 | ML-KEM hybrid | Planned |
| Payments HSM | RSA-3072 | 9 | Vendor roadmap | Blocked |
| Web TLS | ECDHE | 2 | Hybrid key exchange | Done |
Progress
Fig.Post-quantum migration tracker: example names and illustrative values, not a record or a live system.
Responsible quantum innovation: how the risk develops.
Dual-use, equity and uncertainty. The dossier below sets out how the risk develops, what is measured, where the data come from, how it is modelled and who decides.
Dual use is built in
Quantum computing threatens current cryptography and quantum sensing has military uses, so the same research serves civilian and security ends.
Export controls restrict diffusion
Several countries control exports of specified quantum computers, components and software, affecting collaboration and markets.
Capability is concentrated
Most investment, patents and expertise sit in a few countries and firms, raising concerns about an emerging quantum divide.
Hype misleads decisions
Overstated claims of near-term advantage can distort funding, procurement and security planning. Claims discipline is part of responsible innovation.
How responsible quantum innovation is modelled, measured and tested.
The model, its assumptions, its data and its uncertainty, in the form a scientist or engineer would check. Structures follow published methods. The values drawn are illustrative, not findings.
System model
The couplings between the systems in responsible quantum innovation: signs of influence, a reinforcing and a balancing loop, and cross-links where stress jumps.
Responsible quantum innovation anticipates effects across domains.
- HealthCouplingCryptanalysis risk affects privacy across sectors.What to watchMigration equity between large and small institutions
- EnergyCouplingCritical infrastructure needs coordinated migration.What to watchSector migration timelines
- BiodiversityCouplingEnvironmental footprints of new facilities need assessment.What to watchFootprint disclosure
Governance studies are designed for the Foresight Outlook series. The OECD and standards bodies such as ISO/IEC JTC 3 frame emerging governance.
- Governance frameworks under discussion.
- Stakeholder perspectives with consent.
What is measured, and how well.
Each indicator carries its unit, its cadence, the kind of source behind it and the evidence label a value would carry. No values are shown: a programme supplies them under its own authority.
| Indicator | Unit | Cadence | Source type | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Countries with national quantum strategies | count | annual | Government strategy documents | Published statistics |
| Export control measures on quantum items | count | per change | Government notices | Published statistics |
| Share of quantum patents by country | percent | annual | Patent databases | OBSERVED |
| International research collaborations in quantum | count of co-authored papers by country pair | annual | Bibliometric data | OBSERVED |
| Responsible innovation frameworks adopted | count | per assessment | Programme documentation | DECLARED |
| Public engagement activities on quantum | count | annual | Programme reports | REPORTED |
Where the evidence comes from.
Named public datasets and institutional records, each with its licence class. Sources by agreement are used only under their terms and never republished.
| Source | What it gives | Licence class |
|---|---|---|
| Government export control lists and notices | Controls on quantum items | Public records, licence per government |
| OECD and UNESCO work on quantum and society | Policy and ethics perspectives | Public, terms per organisation |
| NIST post-quantum cryptography standards (FIPS 203, 204 and 205) | Approved algorithms for migrating cryptography before quantum attacks | US government work, public domain |
| Bibliometric databases such as OpenAlex | Collaboration and publication patterns | Open, CC0 |
| Patent databases | Geographic distribution of patenting | Free access, terms per office |
Who decides, and what the evidence serves.
Quantum Technologies prepares evidence. The decisions below are taken by the authorities named, under their own rules, and never by the platform.
| Who decides | The question | Evidence this page serves |
|---|---|---|
| Governments | How to balance security controls with open science and collaboration | Governance reviews; export control evidence |
| Research funders | How to assess quantum claims and fund responsibly | Claims assessment guides |
| International organisations | How to support access for countries with little capability | Concentration analyses |
Outputs this topic produces
- Governance landscape reviews for quantum
- Analyses of capability concentration
- Claims assessment guides for funders and buyers
- Evidence notes on export control effects on research
What experts ask.
Responsible innovation questions are asked before capabilities arrive.
- Which quantum capabilities have military or surveillance uses, and how should research and trade be governed?
- Who will have access to quantum technology and its benefits, and who could be left exposed?
- How should uncertain timelines be communicated without hype or complacency?
- How can countries without quantum industries protect their systems during the cryptographic transition?
- What environmental and resource costs do quantum systems carry?
Mechanisms and drivers.
Dual use is intrinsic: the same computers, sensors and communication systems serve civilian and security purposes, and the cryptographic threat has obvious intelligence value. Governments respond with export controls and research security measures, which can also slow open science and international collaboration.
Equity risks arise because capability is concentrated. Countries and organisations with fewer resources may be last to migrate their cryptography and least able to benefit from applications. Hype is itself a risk: inflated expectations misdirect resources and erode trust when they are not met, while dismissiveness can delay necessary security work. Responsible practice therefore pairs every claim with its evidence base and its uncertainty, and invites independent specialists to test it.
How it is studied, and where the methods stop.
| Method or data | What it shows | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Technology assessment and foresight | Plausible developments and their implications | Foresight is not prediction |
| Ethical, legal and social analysis | Rights, fairness and accountability questions | Normative judgements differ across societies |
| Stakeholder and public engagement | Concerns and values of those affected | Engagement can be shallow or unrepresentative |
| Life-cycle assessment | Energy and material footprint | Data on emerging systems is limited |
How it is studied, and what the methods cannot say.
- 01Cybersecurity and cryptographyCryptographic inventory · Migration prioritisation · QKD implementation reviewApplied here
- 02Probability and statisticsFidelity estimation · Testing advantage claims · Analysing patent and investment dataApplied here
- 03Physics and quantum scienceCharacterising qubit noise · Metrology of quantum clocks · Verifying quantum effectsApplied here
Where this page’s references lead.
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
Questions and answers.
Why is quantum technology dual use?
What is the quantum divide?
How can quantum claims be assessed?
Why is hype a risk?
Should quantum research be restricted?
How can less-resourced countries prepare?
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