EU and European funding instruments open to quantum-technology work: who can apply, how quantum work fits and the scale the funder states, with a link to the official page. Individual open calls are listed with the opportunities.
Reference records of EU and European funding instruments open to quantum-technology work, compiled from the funders' official pages on the date shown. Descriptions are the portal's own wording; amounts appear only where the funder states them. Not financial or legal advice: check the funder for current calls, conditions and deadlines. Owner-reviewed for demonstration, 28 October 2026. Compiled 2026-10-20.
13 instruments
EIC Pathfinder (Open and Challenges)
Programme
Horizon Europe: European Innovation Council
Managed by
European Innovation Council (EIC)
Funding type
Grant
For
Research organisations and universities; Companies, SMEs and start-ups
Who can apply
Pathfinder Open funds consortia of at least three independent legal entities, with at least one established in a Member State and two others in different Member States or Associated Countries. Pathfinder Challenges also accept single applicants and two-partner consortia.
Scale
Grants of up to EUR 4 million per project, more if duly justified, as the EIC states.
Quantum relevance
Pathfinder Open supports early-stage research in any field of science, technology or application without predefined priorities, while none of the three 2026 Pathfinder Challenges concerns quantum.
Status
Active
Next deadline
No deadline recorded on this portal. Check the official page; open quantum calls are listed with the opportunities.
Research organisations and universities; Companies, SMEs and start-ups; Individual researchers and founders
Who can apply
Single start-ups, SMEs, spin-offs, research organisations including universities, or researchers and inventors who intend to form a spin-off, as well as small consortia; larger companies cannot apply alone. Proposals must build on results of an eligible earlier project that have reached experimental proof of concept.
Scale
Grants of up to EUR 2.5 million, as the EIC states.
Quantum relevance
EIC Transition Open has no predefined thematic priorities and is open to proposals in any field of science, technology or application.
Status
Active
Next deadline
No deadline recorded on this portal. Check the official page; open quantum calls are listed with the opportunities.
European Innovation Council (EIC) and the EIC Fund
Funding type
Equity or blended finance
For
Companies, SMEs and start-ups; Individual researchers and founders
Who can apply
Single start-ups and SMEs, including spin-outs, and individuals intending to launch an SME; small mid-caps with up to 499 employees can apply for investment only. An applicant may have only one EIC Accelerator application at a time.
Scale
A grant component below EUR 2.5 million and equity investment of up to EUR 10 million, as the EIC states; support can be grant only, investment only or blended.
Quantum relevance
The EIC Work Programme 2026 states that the Accelerator Open call remains available to start-ups and SMEs, including for quantum technologies, with specific safeguards on investments in quantum.
Horizon Europe: European Innovation Council, Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP)
Managed by
European Innovation Council (EIC) and the EIC Fund
Funding type
Equity or blended finance
For
Companies, SMEs and start-ups
Who can apply
Scale-up companies (SMEs and small mid-caps) established in EU Member States or Associated Countries. They need a pre-commitment from a qualified investor for at least 20% of the funding round they aim to raise.
Scale
Equity investments of between EUR 10 million and EUR 30 million per company, as the EIC states.
Quantum relevance
Quantum technologies are among the digital and deep-tech priority areas, and the EIC Work Programme 2026 says support for quantum start-ups will be pursued in particular through this call.
Status
Active
Next deadline
No deadline recorded on this portal. Check the official page; open quantum calls are listed with the opportunities.
Research organisations and universities; Individual researchers and founders
Who can apply
A single principal investigator of any nationality applies on behalf of a host institution in an EU Member State or associated country. Starting Grants are for researchers 0 to 10 years after their PhD, Consolidator Grants 5 to 15 years after, and Advanced Grants for active researchers with a track record of significant achievements.
Scale
Up to EUR 1.5 million (Starting), EUR 2 million (Consolidator) or EUR 2.5 million (Advanced) for 5 years, with additional funding possible for justified costs, as the ERC states.
Quantum relevance
The ERC states that applications can be made in any field of research.
Status
Active
Next deadline
No deadline recorded on this portal. Check the official page; open quantum calls are listed with the opportunities.
Research organisations and universities; Individual researchers and founders
Who can apply
Principal investigators of an ongoing ERC Starting, Consolidator, Advanced or Synergy grant, or of one that ended after 1 January 2025. The proof-of-concept idea must be linked to that ERC project.
Scale
A lump sum of EUR 150,000 for 18 months, as the ERC states.
Status
Active
Next deadline
No deadline recorded on this portal. Check the official page; open quantum calls are listed with the opportunities.
European Commission (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions)
Funding type
Grant
For
Research organisations and universities; Companies, SMEs and start-ups
Who can apply
International consortia of universities, research institutions, businesses, SMEs and other non-academic organisations, with at least three independent legal entities each established in a different EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. The network recruits and trains doctoral candidates.
Quantum relevance
The MSCA states that all areas of research may be funded.
European Commission (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions)
Funding type
Fellowship
For
Individual researchers and founders; Research organisations and universities
Who can apply
Researchers with a PhD and at most eight years of research experience since it, together with a host organisation (university, research institution, business, SME or other) in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country that submits the application. Mobility rules apply.
Quantum relevance
The MSCA states that all disciplines are eligible for Postdoctoral Fellowships.
Status
Active
Next deadline
No deadline recorded on this portal. Check the official page; open quantum calls are listed with the opportunities.
EuroHPC JU quantum technology calls (Quantum Flagship)
Programme
Horizon Europe: Quantum Flagship, implemented by the EuroHPC JU
Managed by
European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU)
Funding type
Grant
For
Research organisations and universities; Companies, SMEs and start-ups
Who can apply
Organisations apply to each call under its own conditions; the 2026 quantum machine learning call, for example, is limited to legal entities established in EU Member States, Horizon Europe associated countries and EuroHPC JU Participating States. The 2026 photonic quantum computing call expects a start-up to lead the proposal.
Scale
The JU states call budgets for 2026 from EUR 1 million (standards for quantum technologies) to EUR 24 million (next-generation QKD systems).
Quantum relevance
Since Council Regulation (EU) 2026/150 entered into force on 20 January 2026, the JU implements the Union's quantum technology agenda, including the Quantum Flagship funded through Horizon Europe, and its 2026 calls cover quantum computing platforms, QKD, testing infrastructure, pilot lines, sensing, machine learning and standards.
Status
Active
Next deadline
No deadline recorded on this portal. Check the official page; open quantum calls are listed with the opportunities.
Horizon Europe Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry and Space): quantum topics
Programme
Horizon Europe: Cluster 4, Digital, Industry and Space
Managed by
European Commission
Funding type
Grant
For
Research organisations and universities; Companies, SMEs and start-ups
Who can apply
Legal entities apply to individual topics under the conditions of the work programme. The 2027 Quantum Space Gravimetry topic is limited to legal entities established in EU Member States, Norway and Iceland.
Scale
For the 2027 Quantum Space Gravimetry topic the Commission estimates an EU contribution of EUR 14 to 15 million per project, within an indicative topic budget of EUR 29.2 million.
Quantum relevance
The cluster's 2026 quantum topics were suspended after the EuroHPC JU mandate was extended to quantum technologies, and the 2026-2027 work programme keeps a 2027 research and innovation topic on quantum space gravimetry.
Status
Active
Next deadline
No deadline recorded on this portal. Check the official page; open quantum calls are listed with the opportunities.
Chips JU quantum actions (Chips for Europe Initiative)
Programme
Chips for Europe Initiative: Horizon Europe and Digital Europe Programme
Managed by
Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU)
Funding type
Grant
For
Research organisations and universities; Companies, SMEs and start-ups
Who can apply
Organisations apply to individual Chips JU calls, whose pages set the eligibility conditions; in most calls the EU funding is matched by national contributions from the participating states. On 20 October 2026 the Chips JU listed no open or planned quantum call.
Quantum relevance
The Chips for Europe Initiative includes dedicated quantum actions: building capacity for quantum chips, design libraries, dedicated pilots and testing facilities, from superconducting circuits to photonic, neutral-atom and ion-trap chips.
Status
Active
Next deadline
No deadline recorded on this portal. Check the official page; open quantum calls are listed with the opportunities.
QuantERA: network of national research funders with European Commission co-funding
Managed by
QuantERA consortium, coordinated by the National Science Centre (NCN), Poland
Funding type
Grant
For
Research organisations and universities
Who can apply
Transnational research consortia, whose coordinator submits one joint proposal for the whole consortium. Questions on national eligibility go to each participating country's contact point.
Scale
Call 2025 had about EUR 53 million in total from QuantERA partners and the European Commission, as QuantERA states.
Quantum relevance
QuantERA is a network of research funders for quantum technologies, and Call 2025 covered quantum phenomena and resources and applied quantum science across communication, computing, simulation, sensing and metrology.
Status
Closed
Next deadline
No deadline recorded on this portal. Check the official page; open quantum calls are listed with the opportunities.
CEF Digital: EuroQCI quantum communication interconnections
Programme
Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Digital)
Managed by
European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA)
Funding type
Grant
For
Public bodies
Who can apply
Projects that link the national quantum communication networks, which Member States implement, across borders and to the space segment; HaDEA refers applicants to the call text for eligibility. HaDEA states that no call is currently open for this topic.
Scale
HaDEA lists EUR 96 million of EU grants to 19 projects, at CEF co-funding rates of 30, 50 or 70%.
Quantum relevance
CEF Digital funds the cross-border interconnections of the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI) for the secure exchange of cryptographic keys across the EU.
Status
Active
Next deadline
No deadline recorded on this portal. Check the official page; open quantum calls are listed with the opportunities.