Proposal starter pack: HORIZON-CL3-2027-02-CS-ECCC-02

Information only. Every fact is taken from the source named next to it, with the date it was read; the topic page and the call conditions on the Funding & Tenders Portal are authoritative and prevail. No proposal text is written for you. This pack complements, and does not replace, the national contact points, the European Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC), the Quantum Business Network (QBN) and grant advisers.

Secure Computing Continuum (IoT, Edge, Cloud, Data spaces)

The call

HORIZON-CL3-2027-02-CS-ECCC-02 is an Innovation Action (IA) of the Horizon Europe (Cluster 3: Civil Security for Society), forthcoming as the source states, with a planned opening on 2027-03-02 and a deadline on 2027-09-15. Its stated budget is EUR 24,000,000 for 5 expected grants.

Topic: HORIZON-CL3-2027-02-CS-ECCC-02: Secure Computing Continuum (IoT, Edge, Cloud, Data spaces)
Programme: Horizon Europe, Cluster 3: Civil Security for Society
Type of action: IA (Innovation Action)
Status: Forthcoming
Planned opening: 2027-03-02
Deadline: 2027-09-15 (single-stage)
Budget (as stated): EUR 24,000,000 (2027; 5 expected grants; EUR 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 each)
Call: HORIZON-CL3-2027-02-CS-ECCC, Indirectly Managed Action by the ECCC (2027)
Technology families: Post-quantum algorithms and standards

Proposals are expected to contribute to one or more of the following: Enhanced resilience against distributed cyber threats and adversarial attacks targeting interconnected systems, while preserving data privacy in highly dynamic and heterogeneous environments; Security solutions tailored to…

Expected outcome, as the source words it (excerpt).

Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal, topic HORIZON-CL3-2027-02-CS-ECCC-02, Topic header (status, planned opening, deadlines), budget overview and type of action; search API record (read 2026-11-01). Back to the programme pipeline

Who can take part

Horizon Europe: collaborative research and innovation (general rules): Consortia need at least one independent legal entity in a Member State and two more in different Member States or associated countries; anyone else may join on top of that minimum. Work programmes may limit participation for strategic reasons (Article 22(5)).

Who can take part, by group of countries (rules of the instrument; the topic may restrict them)
Countries	Can take part	Note	Source
China	Only in some parts or topics	Not eligible for Innovation Actions, nor for Research and Innovation Actions outside the destinations the General Annexes list (none in Cluster 4); MIIT universities are excluded from all actions.
EU Member States Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden	Yes	Same conditions as entities in Member States, unless a topic restricts participation.	EU countries, Country list (27 pages) (read 2026-10-24)
Associated to the whole of Horizon Europe Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom	Yes	Same conditions as entities in Member States, unless a topic restricts participation.	EU Grants: List of participating countries in Horizon Europe, version 4.2 of 7 October 2026, Page 1-2, "Third countries associated to Horizon Europe", entries 1-23 without a Pillar II limitation; Egypt from the 2025 budget, Switzerland from the 2025 budget, United Kingdom from the 2024 budget except the EIC Fund (read 2026-10-24)
Associated to Horizon Europe Pillar II only Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand	Only in some parts or topics	Associated to Pillar II only (clusters, including Cluster 4 Digital, Industry and Space, and institutionalised partnerships); in other parts as a non-associated country.	EU Grants: List of participating countries in Horizon Europe, version 4.2 of 7 October 2026, Page 1-2, entries 4 (Canada, budget 2024 onwards), 10 (Japan, budget 2026 onwards), 14 (New Zealand, work programmes 2023 onwards) and 17 (Republic of Korea, budget 2025 onwards) (read 2026-10-24)
Low- to middle-income countries automatically eligible for Horizon Europe funding Morocco, South Africa, Another country on the Horizon Europe low- to middle-income list	Yes	Can participate; restricted topics may still exclude the country.	EU Grants: List of participating countries in Horizon Europe, version 4.2 of 7 October 2026, Page 3-4, "Participants from the following low- to middle-income countries are automatically eligible for funding" (read 2026-10-24)
Other countries	Yes, usually at own cost	Can join most calls on top of the consortium minimum, usually without EU funding (as a beneficiary at own cost or an associated partner), unless a topic restricts participation.

Legal basis

Any legal entity may participate, including from non-associated third countries (Article 22(1)); consortium minimum (Article 22(2)). Regulation (EU) 2021/695 establishing Horizon Europe, Article 22(1) and (2) (read 2026-10-24)
Participation may be limited to Member States or to specified associated or other third countries for actions related to Union strategic assets, interests, autonomy or security; entities controlled from non-associated countries may be excluded (Article 22(5)). Regulation (EU) 2021/695 establishing Horizon Europe, Article 22(5) (read 2026-10-24)
Entities in Member States and associated countries are eligible for funding; others bear their own costs unless low- to middle-income or exceptionally (Article 23). Regulation (EU) 2021/695 establishing Horizon Europe, Article 23(1) and (2) (read 2026-10-24)
Associated countries, transitional arrangements and the low- to middle-income list. EU Grants: List of participating countries in Horizon Europe, version 4.2 of 7 October 2026, Pages 1-4 (read 2026-10-24)
Restrictions on entities established in China. Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027, part 15: General Annexes, Part 15, pages 6-7 (read 2026-10-24)

Rules checked 2026-10-24. Official list of participating countries. Who can participate?

Projects already funded

On this topic (0)

None found in the stored CORDIS and Funding & Tenders projects.

Under the same call (0)

None found in the stored CORDIS and Funding & Tenders projects.

In the same technology pillar (most recent first) (32)

In the same technology pillar (most recent first): up to 10 projects
Project	Start	Countries	Why listed	Source
SEQULITE: LIGHTWEIGHT SECURE COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL WITH HW-BACKED POST-QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY	2026-11-01	EE, GR, HU, IT	Same technology pillar: Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography) (confirmed by an editor).	EU Funding & Tenders Portal, snapshot 2026-10-21
PostQat: Post-Quantum Secure Communication and Surveillance for Air Traffic Management	2026-09-01	CH, DE, EE, FR, NL	Same technology pillar: Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography) (confirmed by an editor).	CORDIS, snapshot 2026-10-16
MINQ: Minimalist IP for Next-Generation Quantum-Safe Security	2026-08-01	PL	Same technology pillar: Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography) (confirmed by an editor).	CORDIS, snapshot 2026-10-16
QCERT: Quantum safe CERTificate Infrastructure for Resilient Trust	2026-08-01	AT, CY, ES, GR, IT, LU, RO	Same technology pillar: Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography) (confirmed by an editor).	EU Funding & Tenders Portal, snapshot 2026-10-21
QSPECTRE: Quantum-safe Signature Protocols in European Trust Services	2026-07-01	DE, IT, RO	Same technology pillar: Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography) (confirmed by an editor).	EU Funding & Tenders Portal, snapshot 2026-10-21
CyberRidge - Carmel: Launching Photonic Encryption for Data Security in the Post-Quantum Era with the CyberRidge All-Optical Stealth and Secured Solution for High-Speed Coherent Optical Communication	2026-04-01	IL	Same technology pillar: Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography) (confirmed by an editor).	CORDIS, snapshot 2026-10-16
IQ-SCALe: Ironclad Quantum Security of Code And Lattice-based cryptography	2026-01-01	FR	Same technology pillar: Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography) (confirmed by an editor).	CORDIS, snapshot 2026-10-16
QARC: Quantum-Resistant Cryptography in Practice	2026-01-01	CH, CZ, EE, ES, FR, IE, LV, NL, NO, SK, UA	Same technology pillar: Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography) (confirmed by an editor).	CORDIS, snapshot 2026-10-16
ORQESTRA: Orchestrating the Operational Deployment of Quantum Resistant Services for Next-Generation Secure Defence Systems and Communications	2025-12-01	BG, CY, DE, EE, FI, FR, GR, IT, LU, LV, PT	Same technology pillar: Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography) (confirmed by an editor).	EU Funding & Tenders Portal, snapshot 2026-10-21
PQ-NEXT: Post-Quantum Networks for Energy-eXfficient Transitions	2025-11-01	BG, DE, ES, GR, IT, PL	Same technology pillar: Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography) (confirmed by an editor).	CORDIS, snapshot 2026-10-16

All funded projects in Follow the money

Candidate partner organisations

Organisations only, each with the documented reason it is listed: EU-funded projects in the topic’s pillars (public CORDIS data, through the funding finder’s partner rules), capabilities in the supplier directory (including curated company product pages) and company intelligence an editor verified. At most 3 per country, so the list spans countries. The organisations have not opted in to being suggested; contact them through their own websites.

Candidate partners: 15 of 23 organisations with documented capability
Organisation	Country	Documented capability and source
Akademia Gorniczo-Hutnicza Im. Stanislawa Staszica W Krakowie	Poland	Verified company intelligence: works in Post-quantum algorithms and standards. Quantum Europe portal (taxonomy classification) (read 2026-10-29)
Athina-Erevnitiko Kentro Kainotomias Stis Technologies Tis Pliroforias, Ton Epikoinonion Kai Tis Gnosis	Greece	Verified company intelligence: works in Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography). Quantum Europe portal (taxonomy classification) (read 2026-10-29)
Csem Centre Suisse D'electronique et de Microtechnique SA - Recherche et Developpement	Switzerland	Verified company intelligence: works in Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography). Quantum Europe portal (taxonomy classification) (read 2026-10-29)
Ethniko Kentro Erevnas Kai Technologikis Anaptyxis	Greece	Verified company intelligence: works in Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography). Quantum Europe portal (taxonomy classification) (read 2026-10-29)
Id Quantique SA	Switzerland	Verified company intelligence: works in Post-quantum algorithms and standards. Quantum Europe portal (taxonomy classification) (read 2026-10-29)
Infineon Technologies AG	Germany	Verified company intelligence: works in Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography). Quantum Europe portal (taxonomy classification) (read 2026-10-29)
Infineon Technologies Austria AG	Austria	Verified company intelligence: works in Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography). Quantum Europe portal (taxonomy classification) (read 2026-10-29)
K3y	Bulgaria	Verified company intelligence: works in Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography). Quantum Europe portal (taxonomy classification) (read 2026-10-29)
Masarykova univerzita	Czechia	Verified company intelligence: works in Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography). Quantum Europe portal (taxonomy classification) (read 2026-10-29)
National Center for Scientific Research ""demokritos""""	Greece	Verified company intelligence: works in Post-quantum algorithms and standards. Quantum Europe portal (taxonomy classification) (read 2026-10-29)
Office National D'etudes et de Recherches Aerospatiales	France	Verified company intelligence: works in Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography). Quantum Europe portal (taxonomy classification) (read 2026-10-29)
Politecnico di Torino	Italy	Verified company intelligence: works in Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography). Quantum Europe portal (taxonomy classification) (read 2026-10-29)
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College	United Kingdom	Verified company intelligence: works in Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography). Quantum Europe portal (taxonomy classification) (read 2026-10-29)
South East Technological University	Ireland	Verified company intelligence: works in Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography). Quantum Europe portal (taxonomy classification) (read 2026-10-29)
Toshiba Europe Limited	United Kingdom	Verified company intelligence: works in Quantum-safe security (post-quantum cryptography). Quantum Europe portal (taxonomy classification) (read 2026-10-29)

Consortium builder · Supplier directory

National contact points

National support services that make Horizon Europe known and accessible to all potential applicants. Each Member State and associated country sets up, runs and finances its own NCP system with a national portal; the EU Funding & Tenders Portal lists the NCPs by country and programme.

Horizon Europe National Contact Points (NCPs) on the Funding & Tenders Portal

This portal holds no list of individual contact points by country, so none is named here.

Source: EU Grants: HE NCP Guide, V3.0, 15 December 2024, Introduction and section on national NCP systems, points (a) and (e): established, operated and financed under the responsibility of the Member States and Associated Countries; national Horizon Europe portal; Funding & Tenders Portal links (read 2026-10-22). Who does what in EU quantum governance

Infrastructure and access routes

No catalogued facility in the topic’s technology pillars.

Standards and policy actions

Standards and specifications

ANSSI PQC position paper (2022) and follow-up (2023): ANSSI views on the Post-Quantum Cryptography transition / Avis de l'ANSSI sur la migration vers la cryptographie post-quantique (suivi 2023). 2022 position paper; follow-up dated 21 December 2023 accelerates the agenda. Standards scope PQC, in the topic’s pillar. ANSSI (MesServicesCyber): ANSSI views on the Post-Quantum Cryptography transition (EN), Transition plan phases 1-3 and security visa phases (read 2026-10-25)
ANSSI-PG-083 v3.00: Règles et recommandations concernant le choix et le dimensionnement des mécanismes cryptographiques. Version 3.00 dated 2026-03-20. Standards scope PQC, in the topic’s pillar. ANSSI: ANSSI-PG-083 Règles et recommandations concernant le choix et le dimensionnement des mécanismes cryptographiques, Cover (ANSSI-PG-083 2026-03-20); chapter 2 'Règles et recommandations', RecoSécuLongTerme; section 2.2.1.1 Factorisation, RègleFactorisation items 1-2 (read 2026-10-25)
BSI TR-02102-1 Version 2026-01: Kryptographische Verfahren: Empfehlungen und Schlüssellängen. Version 2026-01 (Stand 23 January 2026) adds migration deadlines and announces end of sole use of classical asymmetric schemes. Standards scope PQC, in the topic’s pillar. BSI: TR-02102-1 Kryptographische Verfahren: Empfehlungen und Schlüssellängen (PDF), Cover and version table (2026-01, 23.01.2026); section 2.1 Einsatz quantensicherer Verfahren; section 2.3 Klassische asymmetrische Verfahren (read 2026-10-25)
BSI VS-IT PQC transition deadlines: VS-IT: Umstellungsfristen für Post-Quanten-Kryptografie vereinbart. Announced 31.10.2025. Standards scope PQC, in the topic’s pillar. BSI: Presse - VS-IT: Umstellungsfristen für Post-Quanten-Kryptografie vereinbart, News item dated 31.10.2025, body text (read 2026-10-25)
Commission Recommendation (EU) 2024/1101: Commission Recommendation (EU) 2024/1101 of 11 April 2024 on a Coordinated Implementation Roadmap for the transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography. Adopted 2024-04-11, published OJ L 2024/1101 on 2024-04-12; effects to be assessed at most three years after publication. Standards scope PQC, in the topic’s pillar. EU Publications Office: Commission Recommendation (EU) 2024/1101 (OJ text, CELEX 32024H1101), OJ header; section 4 REVIEW, point 11; 'Done at Brussels, 11 April 2024' (read 2026-10-25)
ECCG Agreed Cryptographic Mechanisms v2: ECCG Agreed Cryptographic Mechanisms - version 2 (EUCC Guidelines on Cryptography). Applicable version 2 published 2025-05-06. Standards scope PQC, in the topic’s pillar. ENISA EU Cybersecurity Certification: EUCC Guidelines on Cryptography, Section 'Applicable version' (read 2026-10-25)
ECCG Agreed Cryptographic Mechanisms v3 (draft): ECCG Agreed Cryptographic Mechanisms - version 3 - draft for public review. Draft for public review posted 2026-06-02 with change log; review open until end of July 2026; not yet adopted as of 2026-10-25. Standards scope PQC, in the topic’s pillar. ENISA EU Cybersecurity Certification: EUCC Guidelines on Cryptography, Introductory text and section 'Draft for public review' (read 2026-10-25)
ETSI TR 103 619: Cyber Security (CYBER); Quantum-Safe Cryptography (QSC); Migration strategies and recommendations to Quantum Safe schemes. V1.1.1 published 2020-07-21. Standards scope PQC, in the topic’s pillar. ETSI Work Programme: work item plan, CYBER QSC, Row for ETSI TR 103 619 (read 2026-10-25)

Quantum Europe Strategy actions

Amend the EuroHPC regulation to cover all quantum technologies. Research and innovation; target Q3 2025; status shown by the evidence: Delivered (evidence), checked 2026-10-22. Strategy area “Research and innovation”, listed for this programme by the portal’s rule. Quantum Europe Strategy: Quantum Europe in a Changing World, COM(2025) 363 final, Section 2.1, action list (p. 4); Appendix, Area 1 (p. 23) (read 2026-10-22)
Move Horizon Europe quantum research and innovation into the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. Research and innovation; target Q3 2025; status shown by the evidence: In progress (evidence), checked 2026-10-22. Strategy area “Research and innovation”, listed for this programme by the portal’s rule. Quantum Europe Strategy: Quantum Europe in a Changing World, COM(2025) 363 final, Section 2.1, action list (p. 4); Appendix, Area 1 (p. 23) (read 2026-10-22)
Pilot two Quantum Grand Challenges. Research and innovation; target 2025-2027; status shown by the evidence: In progress (evidence), checked 2026-10-22. Strategy area “Research and innovation”, listed for this programme by the portal’s rule. Quantum Europe Strategy: Quantum Europe in a Changing World, COM(2025) 363 final, Section 3.1, A Grand Challenge mechanism (pp. 19-20); Appendix, Area 1 (p. 23) (read 2026-10-22)
Present a proposal for a Quantum Act. Research and innovation; target 2026; status shown by the evidence: In progress (evidence), checked 2026-10-22. Strategy area “Research and innovation”, listed for this programme by the portal’s rule. Quantum Europe Strategy: Quantum Europe in a Changing World, COM(2025) 363 final, Section 2.1, text and action list (p. 4); Section 2.3.4 (p. 15); Appendix, Area 1 (p. 23) (read 2026-10-22)

The type of action

Horizon Europe Innovation Action (IA): general rules, as the sources state them
Fact	As the source states	Source
What it funds	An IA consists mainly of activities to produce plans, arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes or services, possibly including prototyping, testing, demonstrating, piloting, large-scale product validation and market replication.	Regulation (EU) 2021/695 establishing Horizon Europe, laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, Article 2, point (33) (read 2026-10-25)
Who applies	Default consortium rule: at least three independent legal entities from three different Member States or associated countries, at least one in a Member State.	Regulation (EU) 2021/695 establishing Horizon Europe, laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, Article 22(2) (read 2026-10-25)
Funding rate	Innovation actions reimburse up to 70% of total eligible costs, except non-profit legal entities, which can receive up to 100%.	Regulation (EU) 2021/695 establishing Horizon Europe, laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, Article 34(2)(a) (read 2026-10-25)
Technology readiness	TRL definitions 1-9 apply where a topic sets a TRL; no TRL range is fixed for the IA action type in the General Annexes.	Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027, Part 15: General Annexes, General Annex B, Technology Readiness Levels, p. 15 (read 2026-10-25)
Time to grant	Maximum five months to inform applicants and eight months to sign from the submission deadline.	Regulation (EU) 2021/695 establishing Horizon Europe, laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, Article 31(1) (read 2026-10-25)
Conditions	Legal entities established in China are not eligible for any Horizon Europe Innovation Action.	Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027, Part 15: General Annexes, General Annex B, p. 6 (read 2026-10-25)

Implementing body: HaDEA / DG CNECT (Cluster 4 digital); National Contact Points

The full record in the instrument navigator

Checklist of the proposal parts

The general conditions every proposal under the main work programme meets; where the topic conditions differ, they prevail. A checklist to plan the work, not a template.

Registration: Every beneficiary and affiliated entity registers in the Participant Register for a participant identification code (PIC) before submitting; validation follows at grant preparation. (General Annex B, Entities eligible to participate, p. 5)
Consortium: Check the consortium composition the topic requires; by default three independent legal entities in three different Member States or associated countries, at least one in a Member State. (General Annex B, Consortium composition, p. 13)
Part A (administrative forms): Filled in online: administrative information on the applicant organisations, the summarised budget and call-specific questions. (General Annex E, Documents, p. 27)
Part B (technical description): Downloaded from the submission system, completed and re-uploaded as a PDF; it should follow the award criteria. (General Annex E, Documents, p. 27)
Page limits: By default 40 pages for a full application, 25 for a coordination and support action, 65 for a programme co-fund action, 45 and 28 under lump sum funding and 10 for a first-stage application; excess pages are not evaluated. (General Annex A, Page limits, p. 4)
Exploitation and dissemination: A plan for the exploitation and dissemination of results, including communication activities, unless the topic says otherwise (not at the first stage of a two-stage call). (General Annex A, Admissibility, p. 4)
Ethics: The ethics self-assessment is completed as part of the application. (General Annex B, Ethics, p. 15)
Gender equality plan: Public bodies, research organisations and higher education establishments from Member States and associated countries need a gender equality plan meeting the minimum requirements at grant signature. (General Annex B, Gender equality plans and gender mainstreaming, p. 17)
Financial and operational capacity: Stable and sufficient resources to carry out the action; operational capacity is assessed under the criterion "Quality and efficiency of the implementation". (General Annex C, Financial capacity and Operational capacity, pp. 19-20)
Award criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Quality and efficiency of the implementation, each scored out of 5 with a threshold of 3 and an overall threshold of 10; Impact weighs 1.5 in the ranking of innovation actions; only Excellence and Impact at the first stage of a two-stage call. (General Annex D, Award criteria and Scores and weighting, pp. 23-26)
Submission: Electronic submission through the Funding & Tenders Portal before the call deadline, with every part and mandatory annex; the coordinator confirms the mandate of all applicants. (General Annex A, Admissibility, p. 3, and Annex E, Documents, p. 27)
Consortium agreement: Participants conclude a written consortium agreement unless the call conditions say otherwise. (General Annex G, Legal and financial set-up of the grant agreements, p. 36)

Source: Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027, Part 15: General Annexes (read 2026-10-28).

Download

Download the starter pack (Word)

How the pack is made: the call facts come from the stored read of the Funding & Tenders Portal (or the work programme) of the programme pipeline; the other sections are matched on the topic’s identifier, call and the technology families the shared taxonomy finds in its text, with the rule shown next to each item. Assembled 2026-11-02.