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Quantum Grand Challenge
HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-QGC-02-01OpenCall for Proposal1 day ago1 day agoJanuary 8th, 2026October 14th, 2025
Overview
The Quantum Grand Challenge is a significant funding initiative by the European Union aimed at advancing quantum computing technologies. The program is structured in two phases, targeting primarily European quantum computing startups, with specific eligibility requirements.
In Phase 1, eligible applicants, which must be single legal entities established in EU Member States or associated countries such as Norway and Iceland, can apply for grants ranging from €200,000 to €300,000. This funding is designed for the development of technical and financial roadmaps, alongside proofs of principle or preliminary prototypes within a four-month timeframe. The aim is to establish feasibility and demonstrate technology which is relevant to the market. Proposals will be evaluated based on excellence, impact, and implementation potential. Startups will also benefit from advisory services provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB) throughout this phase.
Phase 2 offers a transition to market-ready platforms with up to €30 million available in venture debt financing (typically structured in two tranches of about €15 million each) for those startups that successfully advance from Phase 1. This phase focuses on scaling prototypes into fully operational solutions that perform in real-world settings, requiring demonstrated performance metrics and alignment with industry needs. Preparation for Phase 2 is by invitation following an evaluation of achievements in Phase 1.
The application process requires initial submissions for Phase 1 to be completed by January 8, 2026, via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Phase 2 applications will be separate and submitted through the EIB.
Overall, the initiative promotes a clear developmental pathway for quantum technology, addressing the critical funding gap that European startups face while also enhancing interoperability with existing European high-performance computing infrastructure. The program emphasizes integrating hardware and software components to create comprehensive solutions that can generate substantial economic and societal impacts.
In Phase 1, eligible applicants, which must be single legal entities established in EU Member States or associated countries such as Norway and Iceland, can apply for grants ranging from €200,000 to €300,000. This funding is designed for the development of technical and financial roadmaps, alongside proofs of principle or preliminary prototypes within a four-month timeframe. The aim is to establish feasibility and demonstrate technology which is relevant to the market. Proposals will be evaluated based on excellence, impact, and implementation potential. Startups will also benefit from advisory services provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB) throughout this phase.
Phase 2 offers a transition to market-ready platforms with up to €30 million available in venture debt financing (typically structured in two tranches of about €15 million each) for those startups that successfully advance from Phase 1. This phase focuses on scaling prototypes into fully operational solutions that perform in real-world settings, requiring demonstrated performance metrics and alignment with industry needs. Preparation for Phase 2 is by invitation following an evaluation of achievements in Phase 1.
The application process requires initial submissions for Phase 1 to be completed by January 8, 2026, via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Phase 2 applications will be separate and submitted through the EIB.
Overall, the initiative promotes a clear developmental pathway for quantum technology, addressing the critical funding gap that European startups face while also enhancing interoperability with existing European high-performance computing infrastructure. The program emphasizes integrating hardware and software components to create comprehensive solutions that can generate substantial economic and societal impacts.
Detail
This is a Horizon Europe call for proposals under the Quantum Grand Challenge, specifically topic HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-QGC-02-01, which aims to foster the development of quantum computing solutions. It is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) with a budget of EUR 4,000,000. The call follows a single-stage submission process, with the opening date on October 14, 2025, and a deadline of January 8, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time. The expected contribution per project ranges from EUR 200,000 to EUR 300,000, and approximately 12 grants will be awarded.
The call is structured in two phases. Phase 1 focuses on preparing a technical and financial roadmap for a quantum computing solution, while Phase 2 emphasizes bankable deployment, scalability, and real-world demonstrations.
Phase 1: Prepare a technical and financial roadmap for a quantum computing solution
The primary objective of Phase 1 is to establish a comprehensive technical and financial roadmap that demonstrates the potential of the quantum computer developed by the start-up for scientific innovation, economic relevance, and eventual industrial-scale deployment. Eligible companies should deliver physical proofs of principle or preliminary prototypes that demonstrate the feasibility of their integrated hardware and software quantum computing systems. These outputs will be subject to technical assessment and a financial pre-screening, and pending a positive outcome, they will form the basis for consideration in Phase 2. The projects should showcase the added value of their quantum computing solutions in one or more carefully chosen application sectors, selected by the start-up based on technical feasibility and projected market return. As of Phase 2, the start-up should be accompanied by a number of users representative of the selected application sectors. Applicants are encouraged to include in their proposal Expressions of Interest from those user representatives.
Expected outcomes of Phase 1 include:
A detailed technical and financial roadmap, including performance milestones, risk assessments, financial viability assessment, and commercialization timelines.
Technical documentation that summarizes preliminary results from benchmarks ranging from component level (e.g. fidelity measurements, connectivity, energy-state relaxation time, dephasing time), via system level (e.g. GHZ states, Quantum Volume, CLOPS, Clifford volume) to application level (e.g. Q-Score, MaxCut, quantum compilation volumetric benchmark, Quantum Application Score) and tangible proofs of principle or prototypes, representing the basis for advancing solutions towards validated implementations in real-world settings in Phase 2, if the project is retained.
An application strategy identifying target sectors and detailing how the proposed integrated quantum systems will deliver quantifiable improvements.
Expression of interest from potential end-user partners who should collaborate with the project in Phase 2, if the project is retained.
The scope of Phase 1 includes:
Developing an integrated technical and financial roadmap together with a benchmarking strategy. The roadmap should outline how the targeted quantum computer, combining hardware and software components, may be developed in Phase 2, ensuring a fully integrated solution.
Developing detailed financial viability assessments, identifying potential revenue models, commercialization pathways, and criteria for unlocking private investment during subsequent phases. Participants will receive, as appropriate to their project’s needs, tailored advisory services from the EIB Advisory, including technical and financial planning during the execution of their project in Phase 1.
Demonstrating prototypes or proofs of principle that showcase the technical feasibility of the proposed quantum computing solution in representative use cases. Standalone software-only or hardware-only approaches will not be considered. The proposal should specify appropriate performance metrics (e.g., number of physical qubits, quantum volume, gate- and readout fidelities, scalability targets, implementation of logical qubits), potential error mitigation methods and respective milestones, and the proposed methodology for validating these metrics in experimental setups at the indicated milestone date.
Identifying industry-relevant use cases or societal challenges that aim to address high-impact applications. Metrics such as potential computational advantages over classical computing approaches in specific tasks, improved energy efficiency, or unique problem-solving capabilities should be highlighted to support the added value in real-world adoption in the sense of quantum utility, without necessarily requiring claims of quantum supremacy. Applicants are encouraged to adopt standardized benchmarking methods (inspired by global best practices) that measure key performance indicators such as quantum volume, gate fidelity, and qubit coherence times.
Including clear descriptions of how benchmarking and performance metrics will be integrated into project activities and demonstrate their relevance to both technological milestones and commercial objectives.
At the end of Phase 1, the retained projects will be evaluated for potential eligibility to continue into Phase 2. The evaluation will consider the quality of technical progress, benchmarking results, feasibility and impact of the integrated hardware-software prototypes, and financial viability in alignment with investor expectations. Priority will be given to entities integrating their solutions into existing EU supercomputing centres (HPCs) to facilitate testing and deployment in high-performance computing environments. Up to 7 startups from Phase 1 will be retained for Phase 2.
Financial Pre-screening for Phase 1 will assess:
Satisfactory indications of financial and commercial standing of the entity (including pre-appraisal of business description, products/services, business model, clients, competitive advantage and business plan).
Satisfactory preliminary Know Your Customer and compliance check (including pre-appraisal of corporate structure and governance, shareholders and funding).
Phase 2: Bankable Deployment, Scalability, and Real-World Demonstrations
Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Work Programme 2026 will provide EUR 100 million as a top up to InvestEU (EIB).
The primary objective of phase 2 is to support the transition from prototype quantum computing solutions to scalable, market-ready platforms through long-term financing under InvestEU with the benefit of a dedicated Horizon Europe top up, ensuring technological maturity, financial viability, and alignment with market needs to attract both public financing and additional private investors. The proposals should demonstrate commercial potential and provide tangible, real-world applications that validate the quantum computing platform's ability to integrate into existing industrial and societal infrastructures. The entities that successfully passed the evaluation at the end of Phase 1 will be eligible to submit a full investment project to the EIB under InvestEU, which benefits from a dedicated top-up of Horizon Europe.
The scope of Phase 2 includes:
Evolving early prototypes from Phase 1 into fully operational quantum computing platforms, demonstrating significant improvements in hardware and software integration. The platforms should be scalable and demonstrate clear progress in quantum volume, error correction, and system coherence.
Validating quantum computing solutions in real-world industrial or societal environments, showcasing performance benefits over classical computing in well-defined application domains. The entity should work closely with industrial end-users to ensure that quantum computing platforms align with concrete use-cases of interest. The entities may involve inter alia research institutions, supercomputing centres, additional industrial partners, and potential investors to assist them in achieving their objective. Tangible performance benchmarks (e.g., computational efficiency gains, error mitigation improvements, cost reductions) must be demonstrated in selected application sectors.
Ensuring to meet the requirements for financing of InvestEU, Horizon Europe and the EIB, which will be assessed as part of the due diligence, which is expected to take 3 to 4 months, depending on the project.
Financing Structure for Phase 2:
The financing provided in phase 2 will be tailored to the project’s needs, and typically consist of two tranches of about EUR 15 million each, provided as venture debt financing by the EIB:
one tranche of high-risk financing supported under the InvestEU Thematic financial product which benefits from a dedicated top-up of Horizon Europe,
and one tranche of lower risk financing supported under the InvestEU General Debt financial product.
Admissibility Conditions:
Proposals should have an indicative length of 10 pages.
Eligible Countries:
See section 3 of the General Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023-2025.
Other Eligible Conditions:
Proposals must be submitted by a single legal entity (mono-beneficiary CSA).
Participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States and the InvestEU associated countries Norway and Iceland.
Entities directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or entity may not participate unless they can demonstrate that their participation would not negatively impact the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security.
Evaluation and Award Criteria:
Excellence: Relevance to the call objectives and feasibility of Phase 1 activities.
Impact: Progress beyond the state-of-the-art and potential societal, industrial, and economic impact.
Implementation: Credibility of how Phase 1 activities will lead to scalable systems and real-world impact in Phase 2.
Legal and Financial Set-up:
Selected applicants in Phase 1 will receive Horizon Europe grants to develop feasibility studies, technical and financial roadmaps, and early prototypes. These mono-beneficiary projects (CSA) will span approximately four months, with up to EUR 0.3 million available per selected project.
How to Apply:
Proposals for Phase 1 must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
Proposals for Phase 2 must be submitted to the EIB via its venture debt webpage after successful evaluation at the end of Phase 1.
This funding opportunity aims to support startups in the quantum computing field by providing grants and venture debt financing to develop and scale their solutions. It follows a two-phase approach, starting with the development of a technical and financial roadmap and culminating in the deployment and validation of quantum computing platforms in real-world environments. The program prioritizes projects that integrate hardware and software components, demonstrate clear performance benchmarks, and align with EU strategic interests.
The call is structured in two phases. Phase 1 focuses on preparing a technical and financial roadmap for a quantum computing solution, while Phase 2 emphasizes bankable deployment, scalability, and real-world demonstrations.
Phase 1: Prepare a technical and financial roadmap for a quantum computing solution
The primary objective of Phase 1 is to establish a comprehensive technical and financial roadmap that demonstrates the potential of the quantum computer developed by the start-up for scientific innovation, economic relevance, and eventual industrial-scale deployment. Eligible companies should deliver physical proofs of principle or preliminary prototypes that demonstrate the feasibility of their integrated hardware and software quantum computing systems. These outputs will be subject to technical assessment and a financial pre-screening, and pending a positive outcome, they will form the basis for consideration in Phase 2. The projects should showcase the added value of their quantum computing solutions in one or more carefully chosen application sectors, selected by the start-up based on technical feasibility and projected market return. As of Phase 2, the start-up should be accompanied by a number of users representative of the selected application sectors. Applicants are encouraged to include in their proposal Expressions of Interest from those user representatives.
Expected outcomes of Phase 1 include:
A detailed technical and financial roadmap, including performance milestones, risk assessments, financial viability assessment, and commercialization timelines.
Technical documentation that summarizes preliminary results from benchmarks ranging from component level (e.g. fidelity measurements, connectivity, energy-state relaxation time, dephasing time), via system level (e.g. GHZ states, Quantum Volume, CLOPS, Clifford volume) to application level (e.g. Q-Score, MaxCut, quantum compilation volumetric benchmark, Quantum Application Score) and tangible proofs of principle or prototypes, representing the basis for advancing solutions towards validated implementations in real-world settings in Phase 2, if the project is retained.
An application strategy identifying target sectors and detailing how the proposed integrated quantum systems will deliver quantifiable improvements.
Expression of interest from potential end-user partners who should collaborate with the project in Phase 2, if the project is retained.
The scope of Phase 1 includes:
Developing an integrated technical and financial roadmap together with a benchmarking strategy. The roadmap should outline how the targeted quantum computer, combining hardware and software components, may be developed in Phase 2, ensuring a fully integrated solution.
Developing detailed financial viability assessments, identifying potential revenue models, commercialization pathways, and criteria for unlocking private investment during subsequent phases. Participants will receive, as appropriate to their project’s needs, tailored advisory services from the EIB Advisory, including technical and financial planning during the execution of their project in Phase 1.
Demonstrating prototypes or proofs of principle that showcase the technical feasibility of the proposed quantum computing solution in representative use cases. Standalone software-only or hardware-only approaches will not be considered. The proposal should specify appropriate performance metrics (e.g., number of physical qubits, quantum volume, gate- and readout fidelities, scalability targets, implementation of logical qubits), potential error mitigation methods and respective milestones, and the proposed methodology for validating these metrics in experimental setups at the indicated milestone date.
Identifying industry-relevant use cases or societal challenges that aim to address high-impact applications. Metrics such as potential computational advantages over classical computing approaches in specific tasks, improved energy efficiency, or unique problem-solving capabilities should be highlighted to support the added value in real-world adoption in the sense of quantum utility, without necessarily requiring claims of quantum supremacy. Applicants are encouraged to adopt standardized benchmarking methods (inspired by global best practices) that measure key performance indicators such as quantum volume, gate fidelity, and qubit coherence times.
Including clear descriptions of how benchmarking and performance metrics will be integrated into project activities and demonstrate their relevance to both technological milestones and commercial objectives.
At the end of Phase 1, the retained projects will be evaluated for potential eligibility to continue into Phase 2. The evaluation will consider the quality of technical progress, benchmarking results, feasibility and impact of the integrated hardware-software prototypes, and financial viability in alignment with investor expectations. Priority will be given to entities integrating their solutions into existing EU supercomputing centres (HPCs) to facilitate testing and deployment in high-performance computing environments. Up to 7 startups from Phase 1 will be retained for Phase 2.
Financial Pre-screening for Phase 1 will assess:
Satisfactory indications of financial and commercial standing of the entity (including pre-appraisal of business description, products/services, business model, clients, competitive advantage and business plan).
Satisfactory preliminary Know Your Customer and compliance check (including pre-appraisal of corporate structure and governance, shareholders and funding).
Phase 2: Bankable Deployment, Scalability, and Real-World Demonstrations
Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Work Programme 2026 will provide EUR 100 million as a top up to InvestEU (EIB).
The primary objective of phase 2 is to support the transition from prototype quantum computing solutions to scalable, market-ready platforms through long-term financing under InvestEU with the benefit of a dedicated Horizon Europe top up, ensuring technological maturity, financial viability, and alignment with market needs to attract both public financing and additional private investors. The proposals should demonstrate commercial potential and provide tangible, real-world applications that validate the quantum computing platform's ability to integrate into existing industrial and societal infrastructures. The entities that successfully passed the evaluation at the end of Phase 1 will be eligible to submit a full investment project to the EIB under InvestEU, which benefits from a dedicated top-up of Horizon Europe.
The scope of Phase 2 includes:
Evolving early prototypes from Phase 1 into fully operational quantum computing platforms, demonstrating significant improvements in hardware and software integration. The platforms should be scalable and demonstrate clear progress in quantum volume, error correction, and system coherence.
Validating quantum computing solutions in real-world industrial or societal environments, showcasing performance benefits over classical computing in well-defined application domains. The entity should work closely with industrial end-users to ensure that quantum computing platforms align with concrete use-cases of interest. The entities may involve inter alia research institutions, supercomputing centres, additional industrial partners, and potential investors to assist them in achieving their objective. Tangible performance benchmarks (e.g., computational efficiency gains, error mitigation improvements, cost reductions) must be demonstrated in selected application sectors.
Ensuring to meet the requirements for financing of InvestEU, Horizon Europe and the EIB, which will be assessed as part of the due diligence, which is expected to take 3 to 4 months, depending on the project.
Financing Structure for Phase 2:
The financing provided in phase 2 will be tailored to the project’s needs, and typically consist of two tranches of about EUR 15 million each, provided as venture debt financing by the EIB:
one tranche of high-risk financing supported under the InvestEU Thematic financial product which benefits from a dedicated top-up of Horizon Europe,
and one tranche of lower risk financing supported under the InvestEU General Debt financial product.
Admissibility Conditions:
Proposals should have an indicative length of 10 pages.
Eligible Countries:
See section 3 of the General Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023-2025.
Other Eligible Conditions:
Proposals must be submitted by a single legal entity (mono-beneficiary CSA).
Participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States and the InvestEU associated countries Norway and Iceland.
Entities directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or entity may not participate unless they can demonstrate that their participation would not negatively impact the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security.
Evaluation and Award Criteria:
Excellence: Relevance to the call objectives and feasibility of Phase 1 activities.
Impact: Progress beyond the state-of-the-art and potential societal, industrial, and economic impact.
Implementation: Credibility of how Phase 1 activities will lead to scalable systems and real-world impact in Phase 2.
Legal and Financial Set-up:
Selected applicants in Phase 1 will receive Horizon Europe grants to develop feasibility studies, technical and financial roadmaps, and early prototypes. These mono-beneficiary projects (CSA) will span approximately four months, with up to EUR 0.3 million available per selected project.
How to Apply:
Proposals for Phase 1 must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
Proposals for Phase 2 must be submitted to the EIB via its venture debt webpage after successful evaluation at the end of Phase 1.
This funding opportunity aims to support startups in the quantum computing field by providing grants and venture debt financing to develop and scale their solutions. It follows a two-phase approach, starting with the development of a technical and financial roadmap and culminating in the deployment and validation of quantum computing platforms in real-world environments. The program prioritizes projects that integrate hardware and software components, demonstrate clear performance benchmarks, and align with EU strategic interests.
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Breakdown
Eligible Applicant Types: This opportunity is primarily targeted towards startups, but also mentions research institutions, supercomputing centers, and industrial partners as potential collaborators. The main applicant must be a single legal entity.
Funding Type: This opportunity combines a grant in Phase 1 with potential venture debt financing in Phase 2. Phase 1 involves a Horizon Europe grant, while Phase 2 involves venture debt financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB) under InvestEU.
Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a single applicant (mono-beneficiary) for Phase 1. While collaboration is encouraged, the proposal must be submitted by one legal entity.
Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): For Phase 1, eligibility extends to a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have specific provisions for funding in Horizon Europe projects. For Phase 2, participation is limited to legal entities established in EU Member States and InvestEU associated countries Norway and Iceland.
Target Sector: The primary target sector is quantum computing, with a focus on developing integrated hardware and software quantum computing systems. The program also targets industry-relevant use cases and societal challenges that can be addressed using quantum computing, including integration with existing EU supercomputing centers (HPCs).
Mentioned Countries: European Union Member States, Norway, Iceland.
Project Stage: The project targets entities with prototypes or proofs of principle (early prototypes) that need to be evolved into fully operational quantum computing platforms. The opportunity supports projects from the development and validation stage (Phase 1) to deployment and scale-up (Phase 2).
Funding Amount: In Phase 1, selected projects will receive up to EUR 0.3 million. In Phase 2, the financing will be tailored to the project’s needs, typically consisting of two tranches of about EUR 15 million each, provided as venture debt financing by the EIB.
Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process.
Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive both money (grants in Phase 1 and venture debt in Phase 2) and non-monetary services (tailored advisory services from the EIB Advisory in Phase 1).
Application Stages: There are two distinct application stages. Phase 1 involves applying for a Horizon Europe grant to develop a technical and financial roadmap and early prototypes. Phase 2 involves submitting an investment proposal to the EIB under InvestEU, which is only open to entities that successfully passed the evaluation at the end of Phase 1.
Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the text indicates that up to 7 startups from Phase 1 will be retained for Phase 2. In Phase 1, 12 grants will be given.
Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding requirements are not explicitly stated for Phase 1. Phase 2, being venture debt financing, inherently implies a co-funding aspect as the EIB financing will be part of a larger investment structure.
This opportunity is a two-phase program under Horizon Europe and InvestEU, designed to support the development and deployment of quantum computing solutions. In Phase 1, startups can apply for a Horizon Europe grant of up to EUR 0.3 million to develop a technical and financial roadmap, validate a functional prototype, and create an industrialization roadmap. This phase also includes tailored advisory services from the EIB. Phase 1 proposals should be approximately 10 pages in length. Phase 1 is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) and proposals must be submitted by a single legal entity.
Phase 2 is exclusively for startups that successfully complete Phase 1. In this phase, the selected startups can submit an investment proposal to the EIB under InvestEU, potentially receiving venture debt financing of around EUR 15 million per tranche. This phase focuses on scaling up the quantum computing platforms and demonstrating their commercial potential in real-world applications.
The program prioritizes projects that integrate hardware and software components, demonstrate tangible performance benchmarks, and address industry-relevant use cases or societal challenges. It also emphasizes the importance of aligning with EU strategic interests and integrating solutions into existing EU supercomputing centers. Participation in Phase 2 is limited to legal entities established in EU Member States and InvestEU associated countries Norway and Iceland.
Funding Type: This opportunity combines a grant in Phase 1 with potential venture debt financing in Phase 2. Phase 1 involves a Horizon Europe grant, while Phase 2 involves venture debt financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB) under InvestEU.
Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a single applicant (mono-beneficiary) for Phase 1. While collaboration is encouraged, the proposal must be submitted by one legal entity.
Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): For Phase 1, eligibility extends to a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have specific provisions for funding in Horizon Europe projects. For Phase 2, participation is limited to legal entities established in EU Member States and InvestEU associated countries Norway and Iceland.
Target Sector: The primary target sector is quantum computing, with a focus on developing integrated hardware and software quantum computing systems. The program also targets industry-relevant use cases and societal challenges that can be addressed using quantum computing, including integration with existing EU supercomputing centers (HPCs).
Mentioned Countries: European Union Member States, Norway, Iceland.
Project Stage: The project targets entities with prototypes or proofs of principle (early prototypes) that need to be evolved into fully operational quantum computing platforms. The opportunity supports projects from the development and validation stage (Phase 1) to deployment and scale-up (Phase 2).
Funding Amount: In Phase 1, selected projects will receive up to EUR 0.3 million. In Phase 2, the financing will be tailored to the project’s needs, typically consisting of two tranches of about EUR 15 million each, provided as venture debt financing by the EIB.
Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process.
Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive both money (grants in Phase 1 and venture debt in Phase 2) and non-monetary services (tailored advisory services from the EIB Advisory in Phase 1).
Application Stages: There are two distinct application stages. Phase 1 involves applying for a Horizon Europe grant to develop a technical and financial roadmap and early prototypes. Phase 2 involves submitting an investment proposal to the EIB under InvestEU, which is only open to entities that successfully passed the evaluation at the end of Phase 1.
Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the text indicates that up to 7 startups from Phase 1 will be retained for Phase 2. In Phase 1, 12 grants will be given.
Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding requirements are not explicitly stated for Phase 1. Phase 2, being venture debt financing, inherently implies a co-funding aspect as the EIB financing will be part of a larger investment structure.
This opportunity is a two-phase program under Horizon Europe and InvestEU, designed to support the development and deployment of quantum computing solutions. In Phase 1, startups can apply for a Horizon Europe grant of up to EUR 0.3 million to develop a technical and financial roadmap, validate a functional prototype, and create an industrialization roadmap. This phase also includes tailored advisory services from the EIB. Phase 1 proposals should be approximately 10 pages in length. Phase 1 is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) and proposals must be submitted by a single legal entity.
Phase 2 is exclusively for startups that successfully complete Phase 1. In this phase, the selected startups can submit an investment proposal to the EIB under InvestEU, potentially receiving venture debt financing of around EUR 15 million per tranche. This phase focuses on scaling up the quantum computing platforms and demonstrating their commercial potential in real-world applications.
The program prioritizes projects that integrate hardware and software components, demonstrate tangible performance benchmarks, and address industry-relevant use cases or societal challenges. It also emphasizes the importance of aligning with EU strategic interests and integrating solutions into existing EU supercomputing centers. Participation in Phase 2 is limited to legal entities established in EU Member States and InvestEU associated countries Norway and Iceland.
Short Summary
- Impact
- This funding aims to accelerate the development and commercialization of integrated quantum computing solutions by European startups, enabling them to compete globally and achieve practical applications of quantum technologies.
- Impact
- This funding aims to accelerate the development and commercialization of integrated quantum computing solutions by European startups, enabling them to compete globally and achieve practical applications of quantum technologies.
- Applicant
- Applicants should possess expertise in quantum computing, hardware-software integration, and business development, with a focus on creating scalable and market-ready quantum solutions.
- Applicant
- Applicants should possess expertise in quantum computing, hardware-software integration, and business development, with a focus on creating scalable and market-ready quantum solutions.
- Developments
- The funding will support projects in the quantum computing sector, specifically targeting the development of integrated hardware-software systems and their validation in real-world applications.
- Developments
- The funding will support projects in the quantum computing sector, specifically targeting the development of integrated hardware-software systems and their validation in real-world applications.
- Applicant Type
- This funding is designed for European quantum computing startups, specifically single legal entities established in EU Member States and associated countries.
- Applicant Type
- This funding is designed for European quantum computing startups, specifically single legal entities established in EU Member States and associated countries.
- Consortium
- Proposals must be submitted by a single legal entity, with no consortium formation required for the application.
- Consortium
- Proposals must be submitted by a single legal entity, with no consortium formation required for the application.
- Funding Amount
- In Phase 1, funding ranges from €200,000 to €300,000 per project, while Phase 2 offers approximately €30 million per startup through venture debt financing.
- Funding Amount
- In Phase 1, funding ranges from €200,000 to €300,000 per project, while Phase 2 offers approximately €30 million per startup through venture debt financing.
- Countries
- Eligible countries include all EU Member States, as well as Norway and Iceland for Phase 2, to ensure participation from entities within the EU and associated regions.
- Countries
- Eligible countries include all EU Member States, as well as Norway and Iceland for Phase 2, to ensure participation from entities within the EU and associated regions.
- Industry
- This funding targets the quantum computing sector, focusing on integrated quantum technologies and their applications in high-performance computing.
- Industry
- This funding targets the quantum computing sector, focusing on integrated quantum technologies and their applications in high-performance computing.