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On Sunday, STFC welcomed the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rt Hon Rachel Reeves to our Daresbury Laboratory, where they met some of our apprentices and staff and saw behind the scenes in our labs. A highlight of their visit was Daresbury’s cryo-facility, which provides ultra-low temperature environments for research projects such as testing particle accelerator components. It’s one of the largest cryo-plants in Europe and allows the UK to contribute to big international scientific projects such as the European Spallation Source ERIC and the Proton Improvement Plan -2. These low-temperature environments are also needed to develop and run quantum computers, a powerful step-change in computing technology. The PM and Chancellor visited the Daresbury-based company PsiQuantum, who are using our cryo-facilities to develop prototype quantum computing components. They aim to build the first ‘useful’ quantum computer in the next few years. Planned upgrades to Daresbury’s current cryogenics capacity will transform it into a flagship national-scale facility serving the UK’s industrial and academic needs. It will ensure Daresbury remains the go-to place in Europe for cryogenic applications. The facility will enable innovation and growth in sectors including quantum computing, fusion, low-losses energy transport, on-shore and off-shore wind turbines, security and healthcare. It will also be essential in the development of lower-cost, sustainable technology for particle accelerators. Images: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves talk with Daresbury Lab apprentices and Executive Chair Professor Mark Thomson Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves learn about the scientific equipment at Daresbury Laboratory, accompanied by an STFC apprentice