Imperial, Cambridge and Oxford launch QRT Labs for multidisciplinary research

Three top universities are behind an effort to boost the UK's fintech sector through foundation AI models and agentic systems alongside high-performance computing, cybersecurity, hardware design and advanced mathematical modelling.

Imperial College London, the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford today announced the launch of QRT Labs, a long-term multidisciplinary research initiative spanning mathematics, statistics, computer science and engineering, in partnership with Qube Research & Technologies (QRT), to support scientific research and early-career researchers.

QRT Labs establishes a long-term collaborative research framework between academic researchers at the three universities and researchers and technologists at QRT. Over its initial phase, beginning in 2026, the initiative will support more than 70 early-career researchers, including doctoral (PhD/DPhil) students and postdoctoral researchers/research fellows.

Through structured interaction and exchange, the programme supports university-led research across both foundational questions and practical challenges, drawing on real-world experience and insight.

By funding over 20 world-class PhD scholars, we are empowering the next generation of researchers to tackle complex systemic challenges in the financial sector and beyond. Professor Stefanos Zafeiriou Department of Computing

Launched amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence and large-scale computational methods, QRT Labs responds to the growing need for strong mathematical and computational foundations underpinning emerging technologies in areas such as AI, decision-making and complex systems.

Many of today’s most challenging problems - particularly those involving complex data and decisions made under uncertainty - require research that spans disciplines and institutions, bringing together complementary expertise at scale.

QRT Labs operates as a single programme, providing a shared framework for collaboration and coherence across the partner universities, while preserving academic independence within each centre.

The programme operates through three dedicated centres, each embedded within its host institution:

• Imperial × QRT Labs
• Cambridge × QRT Labs
• Oxford × QRT Labs

While each centre pursues locally defined research priorities, QRT Labs functions as a coordinated initiative, supported by shared scientific events - including seminars and an annual conference - that encourage ongoing exchange and collaboration between the three universities and QRT, and support long-term scientific research with broader societal relevance.

Laurent Laizet, co-founder and Chief Investment Officer at Qube Research & Technologies said “QRT Labs reflects our belief that the most meaningful advances come from collaboration, long-term partnerships built on trust, intellectual freedom and shared curiosity. Through this initiative, we aim to support outstanding young researchers while contributing to research at the frontiers of science and technology.”

Professor Stefanos Zafeiriou, Professor in Machine Learning and Computer Vision and Head of the Department of Computing at Imperial College London, said: “The establishment of Imperial × QRT Labs marks a significant and timely step forward in the intersection of academic research and global finance. By funding over 20 world-class PhD scholars, we are empowering the next generation of researchers to tackle complex systemic challenges in the financial sector and beyond. This partnership will accelerate breakthroughs in foundation AI models and agentic systems, alongside high-performance computing, cybersecurity, hardware design, and advanced mathematical modelling. These technologies are critical for building more resilient, efficient, and transparent financial markets for the global economy and beyond.”