Quantum-Testing Infrastructure for Quantum Technologies
Horizon Europe · Grant topic
Summary
A Polish company can use this call for R&D.
Funds pan-European quantum testing infrastructure and certification services supporting validation of quantum components by companies and research institutions.
- Who can apply
- Companies can lead: SME, large company, startup, research org, university, public body, 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 establish a pan-European open-access testing and experimentation infrastructure for quantum technologies, enabling systematic validation and certification of quantum components and systems. Expected outcomes include:
• Deployment of distributed quantum testing facilities accessible across Europe, including remote access and standardized test protocols.
• Provision of certification services aligned with future standardisation efforts, ensuring trust, quality, and interoperability of quantum technologies.
• Support for SMEs, start-ups, and research institutions in validating quantum components and sub-systems.
Strengthening of Europe’s competitiveness by ensuring robust quality assurance mechanisms and accelerating the time-to-market of emerging quantum products.
Scope:
The proposal should implement the testing-related part of the action plan established under the Framework Partnership Agreement for Qu-Test. The action must include:
• Expansion and interconnection of open-access testing facilities in multiple Member States, covering a range of quantum technologies (e.g., processors, sensors, photonics, control systems).
• Development and deployment of interoperable testing methodologies, benchmarking protocols, and certification procedures.
• Integration of metrological and validation capabilities into existing RTOs and academic infrastructures, focusing on TRL 4–7.
• Creation of a comprehensive digital platform supporting users in test planning, remote execution, and data reporting.
• Engagement with industry, especially start-ups and SMEs, to define user-driven requirements and access models.
• Establishment of feedback loops between testing and design/manufacturing entities to inform improvements and accelerate iterative development.
• Coordination with relevant European and international standardisation initiatives to prepare the ground for widespread adoption of certified quantum components.
• Alignment with SRIA 2030 objectives, focusing on ecosystem-wide support for quality, reliability, and reproducibility in quantum technology development.
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.
Testing activities (no TRL applies) are expected to validate technologies starting at TRL 3/4 and confirm their progression to TRL 5/7 by the end of the project.
Who can apply, in detail
- Applicant types
- SME, Large company, Startup, Research org, University, Public body, Other
- Purpose
- Research and innovation
- R&D relevance
- 3 of 3
- Poland eligible
- Yes
- Country limit
- EU Member States or EuroHPC JU Participating States; ownership and control restrictions apply.
- Region
- Any
- Consortium
- Unclear
- Readiness level (TRL)
- —
- Topics
- Quantum technology testing
- Quantum component certification
- Open-access testing infrastructure
- Interoperability
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 testing infrastructure is open-access and pan-European. Activities include distributed testing facilities and interoperable protocols. Portal topic text says no TRL applies to testing activities and gives a validation progression.
- Eligible project scope
- The proposal should implement the testing-related part of the action plan established under the Framework Partnership Agreement for Qu-Test. The action must include:
- 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.
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-QTI-13 · Quantum-Testing Infrastructure for Quantum 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.