Grand Challenge on Quantum Sensors for Inertial Navigation

Horizon Europe funds a Phase 1 Coordination and Support Action HORIZON-JU to produce investor-validated technical, industrialisation and financial roadmaps and benchmarking packages for quantum-enabled inertial navigation systems (Q-INS). Projects may receive €400,000–500,000 each for approximately six months from a topic budget of about €2,000,000, and must rely on existing or externally financed prototypes with documented lab validation. Eligible applicants are legal entities established in EU Member States, Norway and Iceland, and proposals must address supply-chain sovereignty, SWaP-C considerations and end-user engagement; Phase 1 outputs are intended to prepare for Phase 2 EIB/InvestEU investment support. Deadline for submission is 30 September 2026, 17:00 CEST.

Grand Challenge on Quantum Sensors for Inertial Navigation (Phase 1)

What it funds

A Coordination and Support Action (CSA) to produce investor-validated technical, industrialisation and financial roadmaps and benchmarking packages for quantum-enabled inertial navigation systems (Q-INS). Focus areas include cold-atom interferometry systems (long-term navigation accuracy) and chip-scale quantum sensors for constrained platforms (satellites, UAVs, autonomous vehicles). The CSA must rely on existing or externally funded prototypes and deliver documented lab-validation and investor-readiness assessments to prepare for Phase 2 investment support.

EU contribution and duration:Typical project duration ~6 months with an EU contribution up to €0.5 million per project. Phase 1 results are intended to feed into a separate Phase 2 InvestEU top-up action ¹.

1. 1What is funded: readiness analysis, technical & financial roadmaps, benchmarking of reduced-scale systems, investor-readiness and supply-chain sovereignty analyses
2. 2Deliverables: documented benchmarking reports, validated industrialisation plans, end-user engagement and commercialization pathways

Who can apply

Legal entities established in EU Member States, Norway or Iceland. Participation is restricted to entities established in those countries to protect strategic assets; mono-beneficiary submissions are permitted if the applicant is an SME and meets topic conditions. Proposals involving entities controlled by non-eligible countries face strict guarantees and may be ineligible.

1. 1Research organisations, industry and SMEs with access to existing or externally funded Q-INS prototypes
2. 2Consortia or single beneficiaries capable of delivering technical, industrial and financial roadmaps validated against investor requirements

Applicants should prepare deliverables that explicitly address investor criteria (e.g. EIB/InvestEU), SWaP-C and supply-chain dependencies, provide evidence from pre-existing prototypes, and include expressions of interest from potential end users. Tailored EIB advisory services may be available to structure investment readiness for Phase 2.

Footnotes

1. 1Phase 2 is implemented under the indirectly managed action HORIZON-CL4 Quantum Top-Up to InvestEU: Grand Challenge Phase 2; see the Cluster 4 Work Programme and InvestEU resources for details HORIZON-CL4 Quantum Top-Up to InvestEU Phase 2.

This topic is the Phase 1 Coordination and Support Action (CSA) of a two-phase Grand Challenge on Quantum Sensors for Inertial Navigation (Q-INS) funded under Horizon Europe. Phase 1 is an EU-funded CSA (single-stage call) intended to produce investment- and market-ready roadmaps, benchmarking and evidence packages for existing reduced-scale or externally-funded prototypes for two categories of Q-INS technologies (cold-atom interferometry and chip-scale sensors). Phase 1 outputs are intended to inform Phase 2 (an indirectly managed InvestEU top-up to finance investments via the EIB) and to improve investor readiness and sovereign supply-chain assessments. Projects under this CSA will last approximately six months and may receive up to €0.5 million EU contribution each.

Eligible Applicant Types

Eligible applicants and participating entities are legal entities established in EU Member States, Norway or Iceland. The call explicitly limits participation to legal entities established in Member States, Norway and Iceland to protect strategic assets, interests and security. Entities established in other countries are ineligible. The call supports participation by: universities and higher education institutions, research institutes and centres, public research organisations, large enterprises, SMEs (including mono-beneficiary SMEs in exceptional cases), European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs) and other research infrastructure operators, non-profit organisations and national/regional public bodies. International organisations or entities from non-eligible countries may participate only exceptionally and only as associated partners or under exceptional funding rules described in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. The technical description emphasises involvement of: prototype owners (academia or industry), end-user representatives (maritime, aviation, space, autonomous systems), investors/advisors (EIB Advisory), supply-chain stakeholders and standardisation/IPR experts.

Funding Type

Primary funding mechanism:Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action (CSA) grant (Action grant, budget-based, lump-sum model options referenced in HE guidance). Phase 1 is a CSA with the stated EU contribution up to €0.5 million per project and an estimated topic budget of €2 000 000 in 2026 (expectation for multiple awards). Phase 2 is an indirectly managed InvestEU top-up implemented by the EIB (separate procedures and budget).

Consortium Requirement

The topic allows mono-beneficiary CSAs exceptionally (specifically, the EuroHPC JU regulation permits a mono-beneficiary grant where the single legal entity is an SME). In general, multi-beneficiary consortia are expected to deliver the specified outputs. The call notes that consortium composition must be compatible with security/sovereignty restrictions and that participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Norway and Iceland. The submission procedure is single-stage.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

Geographic eligibility:legal entities established in EU Member States, Norway and Iceland only. Participation by entities from other countries is not permitted, except in strictly defined exceptional cases under General Annex B to the Horizon Europe Work Programme and subject to prior approval and justified essentiality. Entities established in the eligible countries but directly or indirectly controlled by non-eligible countries may not participate unless guarantees are provided and approved by the eligible country of establishment. The topic references EU, EEA/EEA-associated eligibility and emphasizes protection of strategic assets and supply chain sovereignty.

Target Sector

Primary thematic sectors:quantum technologies (quantum sensing), advanced navigation and inertial measurement systems, aerospace (aviation), maritime, space, autonomous systems (UAVs, autonomous transport), defence-adjacent civil resilience (GNSS-denied navigation resilience), photonics/optics, sensors and micro/nano devices (chip-scale), cold-atom physics, semiconductors and quantum materials, systems integration with classical IMUs, industrialisation and supply-chain technologies. Cross-cutting areas: finance and investment readiness, industrialisation, supply chain sovereignty, standardisation and test/benchmark infrastructures.

Mentioned Countries

Explicitly mentioned:Member States of the European Union, Norway, Iceland. Regionally specified: EU / European Research Area. The call disallows participation of legal entities established outside the eligible scope (i.e. many third countries) except under exceptional and strictly justified cases. Other countries such as China are referenced in broader Horizon rules (participation restrictions apply under General Annexes).

Project Stage

Phase 1 expects projects that are at a maturity enabling evidence-based benchmarking and industrial roadmapping. Accepted maturity: development/validation/ demonstration of reduced-scale systems and pre-existing or externally funded prototypes. Projects must not fund R&I or prototype development within this CSA — they must provide documented lab validation/benchmarking of existing or externally financed prototypes. TRL expectation: sufficiently advanced to deliver credible benchmarks and financial/industrial roadmaps (typically TRL 5–7 for modules/demonstrators, depending on technology).

Funding Amount

Typical Award Size:EU contribution up to €0.5 million per project; topic-level planned budget in 2026: €2 000 000 with expected grants 4–5 (min €400 000 to max €500 000 per project) ¹.

Application Type

Call modality:open Call for Proposals published via the Funding & Tenders Portal single-stage submission. Applicants must use the Application Form in the Submission System and follow page limits (25 pages). Submissions are electronic via the Portal's Submission Service.

Nature of Support

Nature:monetary support in the form of Horizon Europe CSA grants (EU contribution to project budget). The CSA finances coordination, analysis, benchmarking, roadmapping, advisory activities and stakeholder engagement; it does not fund new R&I or prototype creation. In addition to money, the topic explicitly foresees non-monetary support: tailored EIB Advisory services, investor engagement, validation against EIB/InvestEU investor requirements, and potential matchmaking with Phase 2 investment mechanisms managed by the EIB.

Application Stages

Single-stage evaluation. Applicants submit one proposal and it is evaluated against the CSA criteria (Excellence, Impact, Quality and efficiency of implementation) using standard HE CSA evaluation forms and thresholds. The submission system restricts page length (25 pages).

Success Rates

No specific historical success rates are published for this topic. The Work Programme indicates selection will follow standard HE CSA award procedures and thresholds: minimum individual criterion threshold 3/5 and overall threshold typically 10/15 for CSAs. For two-stage calls, stage thresholds and preselection rules are described in the General Annexes. Success depends on ranking against available budget; selection of proposals exceeding thresholds will be limited by budget and STEP Seal considerations. Exact success rates depend on the number and quality of proposals received and are not provided in the call text.

Co-funding Requirement

No mandatory co-funding ratio is specified for this CSA in the topic text; the action is a Horizon Europe CSA in grant form with an EU contribution up to €0.5 million. The work programme explains lump-sum and unit-cost models and provides budget details in Annex 2 of the call. Applicants should include realistic budgets for the CSA activities. For Phase 2 (InvestEU top-up) co-investment from private and public investors is expected as part of investment readiness and bankability but is managed under separate EIB/InvestEU procedures.

Templates and Application Forms

Applicants must use the Application Form available in the Submission System on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Page limits: 25 pages; Part B layout rules in the Application Form apply. Evaluation uses the standard HE CSA evaluation form (HE CSA V5.0) and Annexes of the Horizon Europe General Annexes. Guidance documents: HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreement (HORIZON-AG) and Lump Sum guidance where applicable. Templates and evaluation forms are available in the Reference Documents on the Portal and specific evaluation forms for CSA and other HE actions are listed in the topic documentation.

Evaluation and Award Criteria

The Award criteria follow the Horizon Europe CSA scheme:Excellence (credibility of technical approach for roadmapping and benchmarking; adequacy of performance metrics and methodology; early end-user engagement), Impact (contribution to EU technological sovereignty, investor-readiness and commercialisation paths, supply-chain mitigation strategies), Quality and efficiency of implementation (work plan credibility, resources, risk management, capacity to deliver outputs, appropriateness of team and facilities). Thresholds and scoring ranges follow HE General Annex D.

Key Required Deliverables and Outputs (Phase 1 CSA)

1. 1Comprehensive technical roadmap: system architecture, integration strategy, performance milestones, risk assessments and industrialisation plan for scalable production.
2. 2Industrialisation plan validated against EIB/InvestEU requirements, including commercialization timelines, compliance assessment for size, weight, power, cost (SWaP-C), environmental resilience and real-world integration, and mitigation measures for non-EU supplier dependencies.
3. 3Comprehensive financial roadmap and viability assessment: business models, market analyses, commercialization pathways, revenue projections and investor criteria.
4. 4Documented lab-validation/benchmarking package for an existing or externally-funded prototype (evidence-based design, test/benchmark reports, documentation of pre-existing or externally financed prototypes).
5. 5Application strategy targeting maritime, aviation, space and autonomous systems and quantifiable performance advantages over classical IMUs.
6. 6Supply-chain sovereignty analysis and investor-readiness assessment aligned with EIB/InvestEU requirements, plus potential end-user lists and expressions of interest.

Technology and Science Details Applicants Must Include

Applicants must provide detailed technical, industrialisation and financial evidence. This includes technical benchmarking metrics (e.g. long-term navigation drift rate target <€10 M/hour for cold-atom Q-INS), SWaP-C assessments, environmental resilience testing and documented benchmark evidence from existing or externally financed prototypes. Proposals should describe system architecture for hybrid quantum/classical IMU solutions, performance milestones, risk mitigation, and supplier analyses for critical components. For Chip-scale Q-INS, applicants should document device concepts (defect-centre sensors, warm vapour sensors, NMR-based sensors), miniaturisation strategies, and target application use-cases (small satellites, UAVs, autonomous transport). For cold-atom Q-INS applicants should document interferometry approach, environmental isolation, and expected drift performance compared to commercial IMUs.

Investor and EIB/InvestEU Alignment

Phase 1 CSA outputs are explicitly expected to be validated against investor requirements (e.g. EIB, InvestEU). Activities include analyses of investor-readiness, bankability, commercialization timelines, and tailored EIB Advisory services to support financial structuring for Phase 2 applications under the InvestEU top-up (separate EIB-managed process). The CSA must therefore prepare materials and roadmaps that can be used to support future blended or debt/equity investment applications.

Application and Submission Practicalities

Submission is electronic via the Funding & Tenders Portal single-stage submission service. Applicants must confirm the correct action and model grant agreement entry point when creating the draft. The Application Form Part B page limit is 25 pages; follow Portal templates for Part A/B. To access the submission system, applicants click the submission button on the topic page and confirm the action type and model grant agreement. Draft proposals are accessible in the My Proposals section after login.

Success Enablers and Key Recommendations for Applicants

To be competitive, applicants should:(1) present credible, evidence-based benchmark data from existing or externally financed prototypes; (2) produce a technically convincing hybrid system architecture and industrialisation plan with realistic SWaP-C and environmental assessments; (3) provide a robust financial/market roadmap aligned to investor criteria and demonstrate engagement with potential end-users and investors (EIB/InvestEU engagement is encouraged); (4) provide supply-chain sovereignty analysis and mitigation strategies; (5) demonstrate team capacity, access to facilities for benchmarking and clear project management and risk mitigation plans; (6) ensure compliance with the eligibility geography and security-related restrictions; (7) follow application page limits and use the Portal templates and HE guidance.

• Deadline: 30 September 2026 (single-stage)
• Action type: HORIZON JU Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON JU CSA)
• Duration: expected approx. 6 months
• EU contribution per project: up to €0.5 million
• Estimated grants expected: 4–5 (subject to final topic budget and quality of proposals) ¹

Risks and Restrictions Applicants Must Consider

Security / strategic restrictions:participation is limited to entities established in EU Member States, Norway and Iceland. Entities established in eligible countries but controlled by non-eligible governments or entities may be barred unless guarantees are provided and approved. The CSA does not fund research and prototype development — only analysis, benchmarking of existing/external prototypes and roadmapping. Applicants must certify that prototype funding is external or pre-existing and provide documented evidence. Activities or objectives intended for military applications are excluded (exclusive civil focus). Ethical, safety and data protection rules apply.

How Phase 1 Links to Phase 2 (InvestEU Top-up)

Phase 1 results should produce technical and financial roadmaps validated against investor requirements that beneficiaries can use to apply for Phase 2 EU financial instruments supported by the InvestEU top-up managed by the EIB (separate application and evaluation). Phase 1 is explicitly designed to maximise the quality of applications for Phase 2 and to deliver evidence required by investors (EIB/InvestEU). Phase 2 actions and funding are described separately in the Horizon Work Programme under the Cluster 4 indirectly managed action Quantum Top-Up to InvestEU: Grand Challenge Phase 2.

Where to Apply and Reference Documents

Proposals must be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal submission system entry point for topic HORIZON-JU. Applicants must consult the HE Programme Guide, HE General Annexes (A–G), the HE Model Grant Agreement (HORIZON-AG), CSA application forms and the Portal Reference Documents. Evaluation templates and guidance (Evaluation Form HE CSA V5.0) apply. Applicants should also consult specific EuroHPC/Joint Undertaking eligibility provisions (EuroHPC JU Council Regulation and subsequent amendments).

Footnotes

1. 1Topic budget mapping shows a 2026 planned budget of €2 000 000 for the topic with expected grants 4–5 and a minimum contribution indicated as €400 000 and a maximum of €500 000 per project according to the Budget Overview information in the Funding & Tenders Portal topic record.

Key Opportunity Details

This opportunity is the first phase of a two-phase competitive structure under Horizon Europe, implemented as a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) in close collaboration with the European Investment Bank (EIB). The call focuses on readiness analysis for exploitation and investments, benchmarking the commercial viability of quantum-enabled navigation systems (Q-INS) for use in GNSS-denied or contested environments [[7]].

Call Reference:HORIZON-JU [[7]].

Deadline:30 September 2026, 17:00 (CEST) [[7]].

Funding Range:€400,000 to €500,000 per project [[1]].

Project Duration:Approximately 6 months [[2]].

Total Budget Available:€2,000,000 for approximately 5 expected grants [[1]].

Who Should Apply

Participation is open to legal entities established in EU Member States, Norway, and Iceland. Entities from non-associated third countries may participate under specific provisions if their participation is essential, though funding eligibility is restricted to entities in eligible countries [[1]]. The consortium may exceptionally be composed of a single legal entity (mono-beneficiary) if it is an SME [[1]].

Scope and Expected Categories

Proposals must target systems that are already sufficiently mature to enable credible benchmarking and industrial road-mapping. Applicants must address one of the following two categories [[1]]:

1. 1Category 1 (Cold-atoms Q-INS): Q-INS based on cold-atom interferometry featuring long-term navigation accuracy (<€10 M/hour) for maritime or aviation applications [[1]].
2. 2Category 2 (Chip-scale Q-INS): Low C-SWAP Q-INS measuring acceleration, rotation, or magnetic field using defect centres or warm atomic vapours for small satellites, UAVs, and autonomous transport [[1]].

Key Deliverables and Requirements

Projects must deliver a comprehensive technical, industrialisation, and financial roadmap validated against investor requirements (e.g., EIB, InvestEU). Specific required outputs include [[1]]:

• A detailed technical roadmap covering system architecture, integration strategy, performance milestones, and risk assessments.
• An industrialisation plan validated with EIB requirements, including commercialization timelines, SWaP-C compliance, and mitigation measures for non-EU supplier dependencies.
• A comprehensive financial roadmap with business models, market analysis, revenue projections, and investment criteria.
• Documented lab-validation/benchmarking of an existing or externally financed prototype (no EU funding for R&I or prototype development in this CSA).
• An application strategy identifying target sectors and quantifiable advantages over classical IMUs.

Phase 2 and Future Investment

Phase 1 results will inform applications for Phase 2, titled "HORIZON-CL4 Quantum Top-Up to InvestEU: Grand Challenge Phase 2." Successful projects from Phase 1 may qualify for convertible loans from the EIB in Phase 2 following due diligence [[7]]. Expressions of Interest from end-user partners are strongly encouraged, and EIB Advisory services may support financial structuring [[1]].

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on Excellence (credibility of technical approach, performance metrics, end-user engagement), Impact (contribution to EU technological sovereignty, commercialization path), and Quality/Efficiency of implementation (work plan, team capacity, access to facilities) [[1]]. The threshold for each criterion is 3, with an overall threshold of 10 points [[1]].

Footnotes

1. 1Official call details are available at the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: Call Details.