Trapped-Ion Platform Technologies
Horizon Europe · Grant topic
Summary
A Polish company can use this call for R&D.
Funds eligible legal entities to scale trapped-ion quantum computers beyond 1,000 physical qubits, integrate HPC access and demonstrate practical use cases.
- Who can apply
- Companies can lead: SME, large company, startup, research org, university, other.
- Amount
- €19M – €20M per projectTotal budget €20,000,000
- Deadline
- 17 Nov 2026 01:00 CETin 24 days
- Status
- Openopened 13 Aug 2026
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source.
Description
Expected Outcome:
This action will advance Europe’s leadership in trapped-ion quantum computing by achieving the following key outcomes:
• Establishment of a full-stack ion-trap quantum computer aiming at more than 1.000 qubits, fully integrated into high-performance computing (HPC) systems, and accessible via the cloud.
• Demonstration of quantum advantage for selected real-world applications, validated against benchmarks.
• Strengthened European capabilities to develop modular, interoperable, and scalable quantum computing architectures.
• Implementation and demonstration of advanced error correction and fault-tolerant quantum computing techniques.
• Integration of full-stack hardware-software systems with standardised and certified interfaces.
• Engagement with industry and academia through open access to quantum computing resources and co-design of applications.
Scope:
The action should support the scale-up of European trapped-ion quantum computing platforms, aiming at technological maturity and usability for industrial and scientific applications. In particular, the action must address at least two major technical roadblocks defined in the Strategic Research and Industry Agenda (SRIA 2030) for trapped-ion quantum computing. These include the limited scalability of ion trap architectures, particularly the need for modular designs and inter-chain coupling, and the integration of photonic components for laser delivery, enabling compact and fault-tolerant systems. The proposal is expected to demonstrate system-level innovation and practical application addressing these and other equally critical challenges.
The proposal should also:
• Develop a full-stack trapped-ion quantum computer with more than 1000 physical qubits, including: • Initialisation, manipulation, and readout fully integrated into the cryogenic setup.
• Reduced system footprint via standardised interfaces and integrated waveguides.
• Advance scalable error correction and fault-tolerant computing: • Develop and benchmark error correction codes suitable for trapped-ion architectures.
• Demonstrate error mitigation in noisy environments and real-life quantum information tasks.
• Enable real-life application testing: • Select and implement at least two practical use cases (aligned with industrial or scientific challenges).
• Demonstrate computational advantage over classical simulations where possible or show progress towards it.
• Develop standards and modular interoperability: • Establish interface specifications for both hardware and software layers, enabling integration across vendors and platforms.
• Align with European efforts on standardisation, benchmarking, and certification.
• Integrate with classical computing infrastructures: • Ensure seamless operation alongside HPC resources, with remote access and hybrid quantum-classical workflows.
• Provide access and foster ecosystem participation: • Support researchers and industry (including SMEs) with open, cloud-based access, comprehensive user documentation, and training resources.
• Contribute to a sustainable European supply chain: • Address key technological components such as lasers, ion traps, control electronics, and packaging solutions, aiming for independent and robust sourcing
Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects
The rules are described in General Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027.
Activities are expected to start at TRL 4 and to achieve TRL 7 by the end of the project
Who can apply, in detail
- Applicant types
- SME, Large company, Startup, Research org, University, Other
- Purpose
- Research and innovation
- R&D relevance
- 3 of 3
- Poland eligible
- Yes
- Country limit
- EU Member States or EuroHPC JU Participating States; non-eligible-country control requires approved guarantees.
- Region
- Any
- Consortium
- Unclear
- Readiness level (TRL)
- —
- Topics
- Trapped-ion quantum computing
- Scalable qubit architectures
- Quantum error correction
- HPC integration
- Quantum advantage
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source. 23 Oct 2026
Conditions
Typed facts extracted from the source documents by Scindu's grant-data review. Each value keeps its own conditions. Unknown means unstated, not zero or unlimited.
- Applicant restriction
- Entities in an otherwise eligible country that are directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country/entity may not participate absent guarantees approved by the eligible country showing no negative impact on Union strategic assets, interests, autonomy or security.
- Eligible geography
- Participation is limited to legal entities established in EU Member States or EuroHPC JU Participating States. Associated Horizon Europe countries can qualify if they become EuroHPC JU participating states before grant-agreement signature.
- Eligible project scope
- The action must address at least two major technical roadblocks. The proposed platform is expected to exceed 1,000 physical qubits. The proposal should implement at least two practical use cases.
- Eligible project scope
- The action should support the scale-up of European trapped-ion quantum computing platforms, aiming at technological maturity and usability for industrial and scientific applications. In particular, the action must address at least two major technical roadblocks defined in the Strategic Research and Industry Agenda (SRIA 2030) for trapped-ion quantum computing.
- Other condition
- HORIZON-JU-RIA under HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based (HORIZON-AG).
- Other condition
- Single-stage call deadline: 17 November 2026.
- Other condition
- Official EuroHPC JU call page lists the single-stage deadline as 17 November 2026, 17:00 CET.
- Other condition
- Employee/equivalent actual personnel costs are calculated using the person’s actual eligible annual personnel cost divided by 215, multiplied by action day-equivalents; this is a calculation method, not a stated salary cap or salary amount. No job-specific pay rates or numeric salary ceilings found in the reviewed topic record.
- Other condition
- The topic budget overview expects one grant.
- Other condition
- The topic submission session opened 13 August 2026; current record gives single-stage deadline 17 November 2026.
- Expected project duration
- 42
Expected project/action duration, not a hard maximum or minimum. QTI duration was not stated in the announcement reviewed.
Amounts and costs
- Indicative budget
- €20,000,000
Topic budget as stated in the portal's budget table. Lump-sum and per-project limits are in the call conditions.
- Call allocation
- €20,000,000
- Eligible cost
- This topic is offered as a HORIZON-AG budget-based grant. MGA describes actual-cost grants as budget-based mixed actual-cost grants reimbursing only eligible costs actually incurred for the project; personnel categories and conditions are defined in MGA Article 6.2.A.
- Eligible cost
- The applicable reimbursement rate is the rate fixed in the specific call/topic conditions and grant agreement; RIA maximum is 100% of eligible costs.
- Eligible cost
- Potential personnel costs for beneficiaries may include (A.1) employees/equivalent under employment contract or equivalent appointing act and assigned to action; (A.2) natural persons under a non-employment direct contract and (A.3) third-party seconded persons against payment, subject to employee-like work conditions and beneficiary ownership of results unless agreed otherwise; and (A.4) unpaid SME owners or natural-person beneficiaries as unit costs under Annex 2a. Topic-specific staff positions, hiring volumes, qualifications, FTE and pay rates are not stated in the reviewed topic record.
- Funding intensity, maximum
- 100
General Horizon Europe maximum for RIA; the call-specific rate fixed in the topic conditions and grant agreement governs and may set the applicable rate.
- Expected project funding, up to
- €20,000,000
Expected EU contribution for the topic; the source describes an expected contribution range, not a guaranteed award or hard project-cost ceiling.
- Expected project funding, from
- €19,000,000
Expected EU contribution for the topic; the source describes an expected contribution range, not a guaranteed award or hard eligibility floor.
Personnel and services
Other role
Staff cost the grant can fund
Conditional eligible cost category under the budget-based HORIZON-AG MGA; a role is not a topic-mandated hire. Must be assigned to the action and incurred/declared under the applicable cost-category rules. No FTE, headcount, or duration requirement found in topic scope.
Source documents
Call facts
- Opens
- 13 Aug 2026
- Deadline model
- Single-stage
- Programme
- Horizon Europe · 2021 - 2027
- Call
- HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-TIPT-09 · Trapped-Ion Platform Technologies
- Types of action
- HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions
- Source
- ec.europa.eu
- Checked
- 23 Oct 2026
- Portal updated
- 19 Oct 2026
- Review status
- Partial review
- Reviewed
- 22 Oct 2026
This is a summary of the source page, not the official text. Eligibility, conditions and the submission system are at the source.