Our University Research Projects
Why we partner with universities
Root-level quantum science lives in university labs — and our partners bring world-class strength in exactly the disciplines this work requires: nanotechnology, materials science, chemistry and quantum physics. Sponsoring research rather than building our own labs gives us a capital-efficient route to foundational IP, led by scientists with decades of standing in their fields.
How sponsored research works
Delta funds a multi-year programme run in the university's own facilities by its principal investigator. When the university confirms an invention, Delta exercises its licence option and enters a technology licence agreement — securing a 100%-owned exclusive global licence, with a small royalty to the university on licensed sales.
- 1Delta fundsa multi-year programme run in the university’s own facilities by its principal investigator
- 2University confirmsan invention arising from the programme
- 3Delta exercisesits licence option and enters a technology licence agreement
- 4Delta holdsa 100%-owned exclusive global licence; a small royalty goes to the university on licensed sales
CANADAUniversity of Toronto programme
The electrical route: arranging gold in engineered layers to build circuit elements, aiming at coherence engineered by topology. Led by Prof. Harry Ruda under a 3-year sponsorship agreement. A provisional patent application was filed in May 2026.
PENN STATEUSAPenn State programme
The optical route: light and spin in atomically precise gold nanoclusters, aiming at coherence engineered by chemistry. Led by Prof. Kenneth Knappenberger under a 6-year sponsorship agreement. Three full patent applications were filed in June 2026.
Research milestones and progress
The two programmes follow published five-step ladders of equal ambition, in step with each other: near-term structure work first (both routes have patents filed at this stage), then coherence engineering — by topology in Toronto, by chemistry at Penn State — with a quantum sensor as the first planned product on each route, and a long-term device goal at the top of each ladder. The ladders are designed to converge in a hybrid gold quantum-information platform combining stable, scalable compute with built-in networking (research stage, not yet a device).
Research at both universities is reported ahead of schedule.
See the milestone map →