A Government Minister has been introduced to Lancaster University spinout company Photarix at an event to highlight the North West’s growing role in the UK’s digital sector.

Baroness Lloyd of Effra CBE, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Business and Trade (Minister for Digital Economy), visited Manchester to meet with organisations contributing to the UK’s cyber and digital economy. Among the participants was Photarix, a quantum communication spinout founded at Lancaster University.

The visit was part of the Minister’s engagement with stakeholders around the new Cyber Security and Resilience Bill and its implications for businesses and regional innovation ecosystems.

The event was hosted by the Greater Manchester Digital Security Hub (DiSH), bringing together start-ups, universities, industry leaders, and local authorities. DiSH offers growing digital security businesses and the wider Greater Manchester community with access to business support, mentoring, dedicated growth programmes, training, and career opportunities through a consortium of Barclays Eagle Labs, Plexal, lead academic partner Lancaster University and The University of Manchester.

During her visit, the Minister toured the DiSH workspace, met with founders, and held discussions with members of the DiSH consortium including Lancaster University. Topics included regional growth, skills development, innovation support, and the North West’s strategic importance in the UK’s digital economy.

Photarix CEO and Lancaster Physics PhD student Gizem Acar Tekin presented the company’s work on telecom-wavelength single-photon sources, an enabling technology for future quantum-secure communication networks. She highlighted how this technology, originating from Lancaster University research, is now in development as a commercial technology with significant national and international potential.

Gizem Acar Tekin said: “Showcasing Photarix during the Minister’s visit to DiSH Manchester was a meaningful moment for us. What began as a research idea at Lancaster University is now developing into a technology with real-world potential. Being part of a community where universities, founders and industry work so closely together is exactly what makes the North West such an inspiring place to build deep tech.”

The visit demonstrated how university-led research can translate into deep-tech ventures with real-world impact. Lancaster’s presence, both through its role in the DiSH Consortium and via Photarix, highlighted the University’s contribution to building a stronger regional ecosystem for quantum, cyber, and advanced digital technologies. As Photarix advances its quantum-secure communication hardware, Lancaster continues to provide the research foundations, facilities, and talent underpinning this work.