QuantERA Call 2025 for Transnational Research Proposals supporting the topics of Quantum Phenomena and Resources and Applied Quantum Science

The QuantERA Call 2025 is an opportunity for transnational research proposals in quantum technologies, focusing on two main topics: Quantum Phenomena and Resources (QPR) and Applied Quantum Science (AQS). The call, part of the QuantERA III initiative co-funded by the European Commission, seeks to promote advanced research and innovation in quantum technologies with a total budget of €53 million.

Key details of the call include the eligibility for international consortia consisting of at least three eligible partners from a minimum of three different countries contributing national funds. Eligible applicants include universities, public research institutes, organizations, and private entities involved in quantum research. Individual grants can reach up to €1 million per legal entity, with potential for exceptions if project objectives would otherwise be unattainable.

The application process entails a single-stage submission via a dedicated electronic platform, with the timeline beginning with the official announcement on September 4, 2025, and a submission deadline set for December 5, 2025. Project results are expected to be released in May 2026, with the funded projects slated to commence between June and September 2026.

The research topics emphasize both foundational studies and applied developments within the sector, covering areas such as quantum communication, quantum simulation, quantum computation, and quantum sensing. The evaluation focuses on criteria of excellence, impact, as well as implementation quality, involving international expert panels.

Overall, the QuantERA Call 2025 represents a strategic opportunity for collaboration across multiple entities in the quantum technology field, encouraging innovative research with significant funding support aimed at establishing European leadership in quantum science and applications.

The QuantERA Call 2025 is a call for transnational research proposals supporting the topics of Quantum Phenomena and Resources and Applied Quantum Science. It is part of the QuantERA III project, which is a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) co-funded in Quantum Technologies under grant agreement number 101212998. The call falls under the topic HORIZON-CL4-2024-DIGITAL-EMERGING-02-02, which aims to stimulate transnational research and development of next-generation quantum technologies, including basic theories and components. This is a cascading grant with Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP).

The opening date for the call is September 4, 2025, and the deadline for submission is December 5, 2025, at 02:00 PM (Brussels time). The expected duration of participation is either 24 or 36 months. The total funding available is 53,000,000.00 EUR. The project acronym is QuantERA III.

The call follows a one-stage submission and evaluation procedure. Proposals must be submitted via a dedicated Electronic Submission System accessible through the QuantERA website. Details of the application procedures are available on the QuantERA webpage: https://quantera.eu/call-2025/.

Eligible beneficiaries include international consortia comprising a minimum of three eligible partners requesting funding from at least three different countries contributing national funds to the call. The project consortium as a whole must be eligible with respect to transnational rules, and each partner must fulfill the conditions of their national/regional funding organization, as detailed in the call documentation. The call is open to international consortia involving partners from entities such as universities, public research institutes, organizations, and centers, and private entities conducting research in Quantum Technologies (QT). The grant for one legal entity being a partner organization in one or more project consortia in the call cannot exceed 1,000,000.00 EUR. This maximum amount may be higher if the objective of the action would be impossible or overly difficult to achieve, provided it is duly substantiated.

The evaluation relies on international Evaluation Panels of experts, one for the call topic of Quantum Phenomena and Resources (QPR) and one for Applied Quantum Science (AQS). Proposals are evaluated based on the criteria of Excellence, Impact, and Quality and efficiency of the implementation. Each evaluation criterion is assigned a score ranging from 0 to 5, along with a corresponding weight. The threshold for each of the three criteria is 3, and the overall threshold, applying to the sum of the three individual scores with their respective coefficients, is 12 points.

Based on the two ranking lists (AQS, QPR) provided by the Evaluation Panels, a final list of projects selected for funding will be approved by the QuantERA Call Steering Committee (CSC). The CSC is the highest decision-making body of the QuantERA Call 2025, composed of Research Funding Organisations participating in the call. While typically the highest-ranked proposals will be selected for funding, there may be cases where a proposal cannot be funded due to budget constraints. In such exceptional circumstances, the choice may pass to the next highest-ranked proposal which can be fully supported.

If at a given rank in the list not all ex aequo proposals can be selected, the following criteria will be applied in the following order: Maximisation of overall funding output, Comparability of success rates between topics, Inclusivity of funding across organisations, Prioritisation of projects from Widening countries and territories, and Gender balance. This ordering reflects GA Part B and will be strictly applied.

The official announcement with full publication of call documents occurred on September 4, 2025. A Partner Search Tool is available to facilitate the process of forming research consortia at https://www2.ncn.gov.pl/partners/quantera2025/.

Questions related to the call can be addressed to:
Call Secretariat: French National Research Agency (ANR), France, Email: maurice.tia@agencerecherche.fr
QuantERA Coordination Office: National Science Centre (NCN), Poland, Email: quantERA@ncn.gov.pl

The QuantERA programme, supported by the European Commission, forms a network of Research Funding Organisations dedicated to advancing high-quality research and innovation in Quantum Technologies (QT). The funding organisations of QuantERA jointly finance multilateral projects with the potential to initiate or foster new lines of QT. The submitted proposals are expected to be aligned with one of the two QuantERA Call 2025 topics:

Quantum Phenomena and Resources (QPR): The goal is to lay the foundations for the QT of the future. The focus is on basic quantum science and fundamental physics, and the projects should explore novel quantum phenomena, concepts, resources, protocols, algorithms, and/or address major challenges that prevent broad applications of some quantum technologies.

Applied Quantum Science (AQS): The goal is to take known quantum effects and established concepts from quantum science, translate them into technological applications, and develop new products. These could be novel devices that are based on known quantum effects and that will serve a novel application in QT, or devices and systems that translate known quantum applications into products and industrial applications.

Funded projects in both topics are expected to address one or more of the following areas: Quantum communication, Quantum simulation, Quantum computation, Quantum sensing and metrology, and General quantum science.

The Call 2025 timeline is as follows:
Official Call Announcement: September 4, 2025
Deadline for proposals submission: December 5, 2025, 17.00 CET
Call results: May 2026
Funded project start: June-September 2026

In summary, the QuantERA Call 2025 is a significant funding opportunity for transnational research projects focused on advancing quantum technologies. It encourages collaboration between researchers from different countries and institutions to explore both fundamental quantum phenomena and their potential applications. The call is structured around two main topics: Quantum Phenomena and Resources, which focuses on basic research, and Applied Quantum Science, which aims to translate research findings into practical technologies and products. The call has a substantial budget of 53 million EUR and supports projects in areas such as quantum communication, simulation, computation, sensing, and metrology. The evaluation process is rigorous, considering excellence, impact, and implementation quality. The QuantERA initiative aims to foster innovation and establish Europe as a leader in the rapidly evolving field of quantum technologies.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call is open to international consortia involving partners from entities such as universities, public research institutes, organizations, and centers, and private entities conducting research in Quantum Technologies (QT). The eligible beneficiaries include international consortia comprising a minimum of three eligible partners and requesting funding from at least three different countries contributing national funds to the Call.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant. The call is part of the QuantERA programme, which is co-funded by the European Commission.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required. Specifically, the call requires international consortia comprising a minimum of three eligible partners and requesting funding from at least three different countries contributing national funds to the Call.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The call is open to international consortia, with the requirement that the consortium includes partners from at least three different countries contributing national funds to the Call. The QuantERA programme involves Research Funding Organisations across Europe and beyond. The prioritization criteria also mention "Widening countries and territories," suggesting that projects involving partners from these regions are encouraged.

Target Sector: The program targets the Quantum Technologies (QT) sector. Specifically, it focuses on two main topics: Quantum Phenomena and Resources (QPR) and Applied Quantum Science (AQS). Funded projects are expected to address areas such as quantum communication, quantum simulation, quantum computation, quantum sensing and metrology, and general quantum science.

Mentioned Countries: France and Poland are explicitly mentioned as the locations of the Call Secretariat (French National Research Agency - ANR) and the QuantERA Coordination Office (National Science Centre - NCN), respectively. The call is open to international consortia from Europe and beyond.

Project Stage: The call targets both basic research and applied research. The Quantum Phenomena and Resources (QPR) topic focuses on laying the foundations for future Quantum Technologies, suggesting a research stage. The Applied Quantum Science (AQS) topic focuses on translating known quantum effects into technological applications and developing new products, suggesting a development and potentially demonstration stage.

Funding Amount: The total funding available for the call is 53,000,000 EUR. The grant for one legal entity being a partner organization in one or more project consortia in the Call cannot exceed 1,000,000.00 EUR. This maximum amount, however, may be higher if the objective of the action would be impossible or overly difficult to achieve (and duly substantiated).

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission and evaluation procedure. Proposals must be submitted via a dedicated Electronic Submission System accessible via the QuantERA website.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to fund their research and innovation projects in Quantum Technologies.

Application Stages: The application process consists of one stage. Proposals are submitted, evaluated, and then selected for funding based on ranking lists.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the document describes a selection process where the highest-ranked proposals are typically selected for funding. However, it also notes that budget constraints may prevent some highly-ranked proposals from being funded, and in such cases, the next highest-ranked proposal that can be fully supported may be chosen.

Co-funding Requirement: The call requires that the international consortia include partners from at least three different countries contributing national funds to the Call. This implies a co-funding requirement, as national funding organizations within participating countries must contribute funds to the projects.

Summary:

The QuantERA Call 2025 is a funding opportunity for transnational research projects in Quantum Technologies (QT). It is supported by the European Commission and forms a network of Research Funding Organisations across Europe and beyond. The call aims to advance high-quality research and innovation in QT by jointly financing multilateral projects. The call is structured around two main topics: Quantum Phenomena and Resources (QPR), which focuses on basic quantum science and fundamental physics, and Applied Quantum Science (AQS), which focuses on translating known quantum effects into technological applications.

Eligible applicants are international consortia comprising a minimum of three eligible partners requesting funding from at least three different countries contributing national funds to the Call. These partners can be universities, public research institutes, or private entities conducting research in QT. The total funding available is 53,000,000 EUR, with a maximum grant of 1,000,000 EUR per legal entity, although this limit may be exceeded if justified.

The application process is a single-stage submission, with proposals evaluated based on Excellence, Impact, and Quality and efficiency of the implementation. Evaluation Panels of experts will assess proposals, and a final list of projects selected for funding will be approved by the QuantERA Call Steering Committee (CSC). The call timeline includes an official announcement on 4 September 2025, a submission deadline of 5 December 2025, call results in May 2026, and a project start between June and September 2026.

The QuantERA Call 2025 is a significant opportunity for researchers and organizations in the field of Quantum Technologies to secure funding for collaborative projects that can contribute to the advancement of quantum science and its applications. The focus on both fundamental research and applied development makes it relevant to a wide range of stakeholders in the quantum technology ecosystem.