QNu Labs trains SRM faculty in quantum communication

QNu Labs has partnered with SRM Institute of Science and Technology to train and certify the university's first faculty cohort in quantum communication. The collaboration also includes a quantum communications lab at the university.

The programme focuses on training faculty members rather than only students, with QNu Academy certifying SRM teaching staff to deliver professional courses in the subject. The lab has been equipped with quantum-safe technology already used in India's defence and banking networks.

The move expands teaching capacity as India seeks to widen its domestic base of quantum researchers, engineers, and security specialists. It also reflects a broader push to bring specialist technologies into universities through direct industry collaboration.

SRM is one of India's larger higher education institutions, with more than 60,000 full-time students and more than 4,460 faculty members across several campuses. By focusing first on instructors, the project is intended to create a larger pool of students who can be taught locally by certified staff.

Faculty first

QNu said the model is designed to scale quantum education by preparing teachers who can then train multiple student cohorts. It described faculty certification as a way to move beyond limited batch-by-batch teaching and build a broader pipeline of people with practical knowledge of quantum communication.

The new laboratory is intended to give students and researchers access to physical systems rather than software-only environments. That could allow teaching and research to be based on the same class of tools already used in operational networks.

The initiative sits alongside India's National Quantum Mission, which supports research, development, and deployment in quantum technologies. QNu said it is backed by the mission and was incubated at IIT Madras Research Park.

Officials from the National Quantum Mission, T-Hub, SRM, and QNu attended the launch alongside faculty members and senior executives. The event marked both the certification of the first faculty cohort and the opening of the lab.

Dr JBV Reddy, Head, Quantum Technology Cell, National Quantum Mission, DST, linked the project to the country's broader technology ambitions.

"National Quantum Mission was envisioned to make India a leader in quantum technologies. This lab at SRM, built with DST's support and QNu Labs' expertise, is a landmark step in that journey, taking quantum research out of isolated centres and into the hands of the students who will define India's quantum future," said Dr JBV Reddy, Head, Quantum Technology Cell, National Quantum Mission, DST.

University role

For SRM, the partnership expands its teaching and research base in a field that is still emerging across most universities. Quantum communication is drawing attention from governments and industry because of its relevance to secure data transmission and next-generation cryptography.

The university's Vice Chancellor said the project's value lies in giving students access to deployed systems rather than only academic material. That approach may also help tie classroom teaching more closely to commercial and public-sector uses of the technology.

"This partnership gives our students access to sovereign, deployed quantum technology - not just textbooks. It's how SRM prepares the next generation to lead the field globally, from India with QNu Labs," said Dr C. Muthamizhchelvan, Vice Chancellor, SRM Institute of Science and Technology.

QNu, founded in 2016, focuses on quantum cybersecurity and quantum-safe communications. Its products are used in critical infrastructure settings in India and overseas, though the announcement did not disclose customer numbers.

The project was also framed as part of a longer-term effort to build domestic expertise before demand outpaces supply. In fields such as quantum technology, a shortage of trained instructors can be as much of a constraint as a shortage of students.

Sunil Gupta, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, QNu Labs, said investment in teaching capacity was central to that effort.

"The future belongs to nations that invest in knowledge before they need it. Today, with this laboratory, SRM Institute of Science and Technology and QNu Labs are investing in exactly that future - one that is secure, sovereign, and powered by Indian innovation," said Gupta.