Insider Brief:
- Aqora will power the Bradford Quantum Hackathon 2025, hosted by Quantinuum and the University of Bradford, with virtual sessions starting October 27 and an in-person final at Bradford Live on November 21.
- Participants will collaborate on quantum-enabled solutions to real-world challenges across health, transport, finance, clean energy, and climate, with each mapped to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Aqora’s digital platform will host the full competition workflow, providing tools for registration, team formation, dataset sharing, mentoring, evaluation, and public leaderboards in a transparent, auditable environment.
- The hackathon celebrates both the International Year of Quantum Science and Bradford’s City of Culture 2025, offering £25,000 in prizes and mentorship to teams that demonstrate impactful, practical applications of quantum computing.
Aqora, the open collaboration hub for quantum datasets, algorithms, and community challenges, will power the upcoming Bradford Quantum Hackathon 2025, hosted by Quantinuum and the University of Bradford.
Opening virtually on October 27, 2025, and culminating in an in-person final at Bradford Live on November 21, 2025, the event marks a meeting point between science, innovation, and culture. It is part of the celebrations for both the United Nations’ International Year of Quantum Science and Technology and Bradford’s designation as the UK City of Culture 2025.
A Platform for Collaboration and Real-World Impact
The Bradford Quantum Hackathon invites students, researchers, and professionals from all disciplines to develop quantum-enabled solutions to some of society’s most pressing challenges. Teams will address real-world problems spanning health, transport, finance, logistics, clean energy, and climate, with each track aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Throughout the four-week program, participants will engage in webinars, mentoring sessions, and collaborative sprints hosted on Aqora’s digital platform. The platform provides a complete workflow including registration, dataset and algorithm hosting, team tools, evaluation pipelines, and public leaderboards, enabling a transparent and auditable competition process.
The virtual phase runs from late October to mid-November, followed by the on-site finals and closing ceremony at Bradford Live. A £25,000 prize pool will recognize the most innovative and applicable solutions, complemented by mentorship and follow-on opportunities with event partners.
Celebrating a Century of Quantum Science
The event honors the 100th anniversary of quantum theory’s founding, bringing together the global quantum community in a city that played a role in the industrial revolution. Just as Bradford once symbolized the innovation of the textile age, it now positions itself within the development of quantum, which is a fitting parallel between past and future industries shaped by creativity and technology.
“Aqora exists to help the community publish datasets, benchmark algorithms, and collaborate on use cases that matter,” said Jannes Stubbemann, CEO and Co-Founder of Aqora. “Powering the Quantum Bradford Hackathon is a chance to do all three openly and at scale during the International Year of Quantum.”
An Open Invitation to Innovators Everywhere
Organizers emphasize that participation is not limited to quantum experts. The hackathon encourages teams from diverse backgrounds, including artificial intelligence, computer science, engineering, design, and business. By combining technical skills with creative problem-solving, the event will demonstrate how quantum approaches can complement classical technologies and inspire new methods of tackling global issues.
Participants will have access to industry mentors, technical resources, and training webinars, helping them explore the practical potential of quantum computing. Whether developing new algorithms, modeling optimization problems, or designing hybrid quantum-classical workflows, teams will gain hands-on experience applying quantum methods to tangible use cases.
Event Details
Virtual Phase: Opens October 27, 2025 (webinars, team formation, mentoring)
Finals: November 21, 2025 at Bradford Live, 1 Thornton Rd, Bradford BD1 2EP, United Kingdom
Tracks: Health & Wellbeing, Reduced Inequalities, Economic Growth, Clean Energy, Industry & Infrastructure, Climate Action
Awards: £25,000 prize pool, plus mentorship and showcase opportunities
About the Organizers
Aqora is a global platform that facilitates open collaboration in quantum computing by enabling researchers and developers to share datasets, benchmark algorithms, and host challenge-based projects.
Quantinuum is one of the world’s integrated quantum computing companies, advancing both hardware and software to accelerate scientific and commercial applications.
The University of Bradford, a research-intensive public university, is recognized for its work in engineering, computing, and sustainable development, and for its commitment to using innovation to improve society.
Register and learn more: https://quantumbradford2025.com
