Standards for Quantum Technologies – Coordination and Support Action (CSA)

The "Standards for Quantum Technologies – Coordination and Support Action" is a Horizon Europe funding opportunity centered on advancing the standardization of quantum technologies, particularly in quantum computing, communication, and sensing. This initiative is structured as a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) within the Horizon Europe program and aims to bolster Europe's global leadership in this field.

Eligible applicants include legal entities from EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, associated countries, and OECD countries, with a strong emphasis on involving European standardisation organisations (ESOs) as key partners in the consortium. However, entities based in China are excluded. The funding mechanism consists of a lump sum grant, with a total budget of €1,000,000 allocated for this call, expected to support a single proposal.

The application process will have a single-stage evaluation, opening on January 15, 2026, and closing on April 15, 2026. Proposals must outline clear stakeholder engagement, deliverables, and budget rationale. The CSA focuses on coordinating the development of pre-normative standards, facilitating stakeholder participation in international standardisation bodies, and creating practical support tools such as training materials and user guidelines.

The initiative aims to address the need for interoperable, reliable quantum systems and reduce market fragmentation. It seeks to engage various stakeholders, including SMEs and startups, to ensure comprehensive representation and participation in establishing common standards that can promote cross-sectoral interoperability. The expected outcomes include the establishment of significant contributions to technical specifications and guidelines for quantum technologies, which are crucial for ensuring quality and trust in these systems.

Overall, this opportunity is about fostering collaboration among diverse players in the quantum ecosystem to achieve open strategic autonomy in a rapidly evolving technological landscape, thereby reinforcing Europe’s position in quantum technologies.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-12, for a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) focused on standards for quantum technologies. The call falls under the DIGITAL call within the Horizon Europe program. The project aims to support and accelerate the development and adoption of European and international standards for quantum technologies, enhancing interoperability, quality/reliability assurance, and trust in quantum systems. The goal is to strengthen Europe's leadership in the global quantum standardization landscape and ensure that European industrial and research priorities are well represented and integrated into emerging standards.

The expected outcomes include:

Delivery of concrete, EU-relevant pre-normative standards and technical specifications across quantum computing, communication, and sensing.

Substantial contribution of European stakeholders, notably SMEs and start-ups in international standardisation bodies (e.g., ISO/IEC, ITU-T, ETSI), with alignment to EU industrial strategies.

Promotion of cross-sectoral interoperability through standardised interfaces, control protocols, reliability in operating conditions and benchmarking methodologies, reducing market fragmentation and technical barriers.

Creation of practical support tools such as user guidelines, training modules, and best practices to accelerate the uptake and implementation of quantum standards.

The scope of the CSA includes coordinating and supporting standardisation activities for quantum technologies in areas such as quantum computing, communication, sensing, and control.

Proposals should include the following:

Building on the roadmaps of European standardisation organisations to (i) standardise results from quantum projects funded under Horizon Europe, the Digital Europe Programme, and EuroHPC JU in line with stakeholder priorities, and (ii) foster an active industrial standardisation community to promote engagement and uptake within the European quantum industry.

Enabling broad stakeholder participation in international standardisation activities (e.g. ISO/IEC, ITU-T, ETSI), promoting EU priorities.

Supporting interoperability and integration of quantum systems through standardisation of interfaces, protocols, and benchmarking methodologies.

Developing explanatory documentation and training material to facilitate adoption and implementation of the developed standards.

Drafting and developing concrete standards or technical specifications, in cooperation with relevant standardisation bodies, in areas such as:

Hardware-software interfaces in quantum computing,

Quantum sensing protocols and metrology methods,

Control electronics and device modularity for quantum systems,

Performance and benchmarking methodologies.

Supporting the participation of quantum stakeholders in European and international standardisation organisations (e.g. CEN-CENELEC, ETSI, ISO/IEC, ITU-T)

Coordination with existing European and international standardisation organisations to ensure alignment and avoid duplication.

Development of support materials such as user guides, training modules, and best practices for the standards developed.

Organisation of workshops and consultations with quantum stakeholders (including SMEs, start-ups, and large industry) to ensure inclusivity and consensus building.

The proposal must present a clear plan for stakeholder engagement, deliverables, and budget justification, including person-days per task and daily rates. A single proposal is expected. European standardisation organisations (ESOs) are encouraged to lead or be key partners in the consortium.

This call contributes to the destination of achieving open strategic autonomy in digital and emerging enabling technologies, recognizing the importance of leadership in frontier technologies like AI, Quantum, Photonics, and Semiconductors for Europe’s economic security and global competitiveness. Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Innovation Actions (IAs) falling under this destination.

The planned opening date is 15 January 2026, and the deadline is 15 April 2026, 17:00:00 Brussels time. The total budget for this specific topic is 1,000,000 EUR, and it is expected that one grant will be awarded.

General conditions for participation include:

Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.

Eligible Countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions may apply to non-EU/non-Associated Countries, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Other Eligible Conditions are described in General Annex B, with exceptions to avoid technological dependency on non-EU sources. Participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Iceland and Norway, associated countries, and OECD countries. Entities controlled by non-eligible countries or entities are not allowed to participate.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum, as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA) information:

Application form templates are available in the Submission System (Standard application form HE CSA).

Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations (Standard evaluation form HE CSA).

Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide.

The Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is the Lump Sum MGA.

Call-specific instructions include a detailed budget table (HE LS) and guidance on lump sums.

Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027, the HE Programme Guide, the HE Framework Programme 2021/695, the HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, the Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions, rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, the EU Grants AGA, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual.

Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants.

The submission system is planned to be opened on the date stated on the topic header.

This funding opportunity aims to bolster Europe's position in quantum technologies by fostering the development and adoption of common standards. It seeks to bring together various stakeholders, including SMEs, start-ups, and large industries, to create a cohesive and competitive European quantum industry. The focus is on coordination and support actions to establish pre-normative standards, technical specifications, and practical support tools that will facilitate the integration and interoperability of quantum systems across different sectors. The EU is investing in this area to ensure its strategic autonomy and global leadership in the rapidly evolving field of quantum technologies. The call encourages European standardisation organisations to take a leading role in these efforts.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include legal entities established in Member States, Iceland and Norway, associated countries and OECD countries. European standardisation organisations (ESOs) are encouraged to lead or be key partners in the consortium. SMEs and start-ups are also specifically mentioned as relevant stakeholders. However, legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Innovation Actions (IAs). Additionally, entities established in eligible countries but directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or entity from a non-eligible country are also not eligible.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA) under the Horizon Europe Programme. The eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required, and a single proposal is expected. European standardisation organisations (ESOs) are encouraged to lead or be key partners in the consortium.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes legal entities established in Member States of the EU, Iceland, Norway, associated countries, and OECD countries. However, legal entities established in China are not eligible. Additionally, entities established in eligible countries but directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or a non-eligible country entity are also not eligible.

Target Sector: The target sector is quantum technologies, specifically focusing on quantum computing, communication, sensing, and control. The program also targets Artificial Intelligence, Photonics and Semiconductors.

Mentioned Countries: Iceland, Norway, China. The region of the EU is also relevant. OECD countries are also mentioned as eligible.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on standardization activities, which implies a stage of development where research results are ready to be translated into standards and technical specifications. This includes pre-normative standards and technical specifications.

Funding Amount: The budget for the HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-12 topic is EUR 1,000,000. The indicative number of grants is 1.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: Success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants is provided for each topic, which can be used to infer the potential success rate based on the expected number of applications.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-12, aims to bolster the development and adoption of European and international standards for quantum technologies. The goal is to enhance interoperability, ensure quality and reliability, and foster trust in quantum systems. The initiative seeks to strengthen Europe's leadership in the global quantum standardization landscape by integrating European industrial and research priorities into emerging standards. The call is structured as a Coordination and Support Action (CSA), with funding provided as a lump sum. Eligible applicants include legal entities from EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, associated countries, and OECD countries, with a strong encouragement for European standardisation organisations (ESOs) to take a leading role. The projects should focus on coordinating and supporting standardization activities in quantum computing, communication, sensing, and control, with a clear plan for stakeholder engagement, deliverables, and budget justification. The expected outcomes include the delivery of EU-relevant pre-normative standards, significant contributions from European stakeholders in international standardization bodies, promotion of cross-sectoral interoperability, and the creation of practical support tools for the uptake of quantum standards.