Our mission is to conduct interdisciplinary theoretical and experimental research into the fundamental limits to information processing. The discovery that quantum physics allows fundamentally new modes of information processing has required the existing theories of computation, information and cryptography to be superseded by their quantum generalisations. We focus on the development of quantum technologies for coherent control of individual photons and atoms and explore both the theory and the practical possibilities of constructing quantum-mechanical devices for the purpose of cryptography and computation.

Research in quantum information science in Singapore was initiated in 1998 by Kwek Leong Chuan, Lai Choy Heng, Oh Choo Hiap and Kuldip Singh as a series of informal seminars at the National University of Singapore. The seminars attracted local researchers and resulted in forming the Quantum Information Technology Group, informally referred in Singlish as "quantum lah".

In February 2002 the support from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) - the Temasek Project - consolidated research efforts in the field and led to a number of faculty appointments. In 2007 the Quantum Information Technology Group was selected as the core of the first Research Centre of Excellence in quantum information science and technology. Since then, the centre has attracted a number of other researcher and continues to expand.

The Centre is funded by the Singapore National Research Foundation and the Ministry of Education. It is hosted by the National University of Singapore, but enjoys a significant autonomy both in pursuing its research goals and in governance. The Centre has its own Governing Board, a Scientific Advisory Board and is headed by Director Artur Ekert.