{ "title": "Technology brief: Quantum sensing and metrology", "technology": "sensing", "kind": "pillar", "generated": "2026-11-03", "records_assembled": "2026-11-02", "status": "available", "note": "Observations of the named sources only: no ranking, market share, production location or supplier relationship is inferred.", "patents": { "landscape": { "status": "not mapped", "reason": "No CPC group title of version 2026.08 names quantum sensing or quantum metrology; the adjacent magnetometer groups listed as not used are broader than the area." }, "companies": { "status": "collected", "companies_checked": 39, "distinct_families_all_quantum_groups": 153, "lower_bound": false, "group": "Quantum sensing and metrology", "companies_with_family_in_group": 0, "top": [], "countries": [], "country_meaning": "The country CORDIS records for the company, not the applicant residence or a production location." }, "source": "https://www.epo.org/en/searching-for-patents/data/web-services/ops" }, "supply_chain": { "platforms": [], "segments": { "cryogenics": { "label": "Cryogenics and cooling", "projects": 2, "companies": 0 }, "photonics": { "label": "Photonics, lasers and optics", "projects": 53, "companies": 7 }, "electronics": { "label": "Control electronics and cryo-CMOS", "projects": 11, "companies": 0 }, "materials": { "label": "Materials, fabrication and foundry", "projects": 44, "companies": 12 }, "hardware": { "label": "Qubit hardware platforms", "projects": 14, "companies": 1 }, "software": { "label": "Quantum software and algorithms", "projects": 4, "companies": 0 }, "communication": { "label": "Quantum communication and security systems", "projects": 14, "companies": 0 }, "sensing": { "label": "Quantum sensors and metrology devices", "projects": 324, "companies": 39 }, "other": { "label": "Other / not classified", "projects": 4, "companies": 0 } }, "companies": 39, "organisations": 125, "top_organisations": [ { "pic": "999997930", "name": "Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS", "country": "FR", "projects": 8, "company": false }, { "pic": "999974747", "name": "University of Stuttgart", "country": "DE", "projects": 5, "company": false }, { "pic": "999981828", "name": "Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universitaet Hannover", "country": "DE", "projects": 4, "company": false }, { "pic": "999981149", "name": "Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum", "country": "BE", "projects": 4, "company": false }, { "pic": "999991043", "name": "Kobenhavns Universitet", "country": "DK", "projects": 4, "company": false }, { "pic": "999596544", "name": "Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt", "country": "DE", "projects": 4, "company": false }, { "pic": "999977463", "name": "Technische Universitaet Muenchen", "country": "DE", "projects": 4, "company": false }, { "pic": "999882209", "name": "Universitaet Ulm", "country": "DE", "projects": 4, "company": false }, { "pic": "999599163", "name": "Centre National D'etudes Spatiales - Cnes", "country": "FR", "projects": 3, "company": false }, { "pic": "999992401", "name": "Commissariat A L Energie Atomique et Aux Energies Alternatives", "country": "FR", "projects": 3, "company": false } ], "relationship": "Participants of EU-funded projects, not documented suppliers." }, "funding": { "projects": 331, "sources": { "cordis": 48, "ft": 1, "kohesio": 8, "rie": 4, "nwo": 8, "fwf": 11, "anr": 24, "openaire-funders": 72, "ukri": 145, "aramis": 6, "rcn": 4 }, "totals": [ { "measure": "award value (Gateway to Research)", "currency": "GBP", "sum": 102033798, "projects": 88, "missing": 0, "includes_award": false }, { "measure": "EU contribution (maximum grant agreed)", "currency": "EUR", "sum": 124050703.95, "projects": 49, "missing": 0, "includes_award": false }, { "measure": "ANR aid allocated", "currency": "EUR", "sum": 9443826.74, "projects": 24, "missing": 0, "includes_award": false }, { "measure": "funded amount", "currency": "SEK", "sum": 77060740, "projects": 14, "missing": 0, "includes_award": false }, { "measure": "approved FWF funding", "currency": "EUR", "sum": 4103539, "projects": 11, "missing": 0, "includes_award": false }, { "measure": "NWO award amount", "currency": "EUR", "sum": 3540831, "projects": 8, "missing": 0, "includes_award": false }, { "measure": "total eligible expenditure", "currency": "EUR", "sum": 7125559.75, "projects": 8, "missing": 0, "includes_award": false }, { "measure": "funded amount", "currency": "EUR", "sum": 1568145.7, "projects": 6, "missing": 0, "includes_award": false }, { "measure": "award amount", "currency": "EUR", "sum": 1557576.96, "projects": 1, "missing": 0, "includes_award": false }, { "measure": "approved total costs", "currency": "", "sum": 0, "projects": 0, "missing": 6, "includes_award": false }, { "measure": "award value (Gateway to Research)", "currency": "", "sum": 0, "projects": 0, "missing": 57, "includes_award": false }, { "measure": "current total commitment", "currency": "", "sum": 0, "projects": 0, "missing": 3, "includes_award": false }, { "measure": "funded amount", "currency": "", "sum": 0, "projects": 0, "missing": 52, "includes_award": false }, { "measure": "total awarded", "currency": "", "sum": 0, "projects": 0, "missing": 4, "includes_award": false }, { "measure": "Total cost", "currency": "EUR", "sum": 118146161.93, "projects": 41, "missing": 0, "includes_award": true } ], "years": { "2009": 4, "2010": 2, "2011": 1, "2013": 2, "2014": 5, "2015": 7, "2016": 16, "2017": 11, "2018": 36, "2019": 20, "2020": 18, "2021": 29, "2022": 29, "2023": 31, "2024": 56, "2025": 27, "2026": 31, "2027": 4, "2030": 1 }, "countries": { "GB": 153, "DE": 44, "CH": 41, "FR": 37, "AT": 17, "DK": 17, "SE": 17, "NL": 16, "ES": 11, "IT": 11 }, "country_count": 26, "largest_awards": [ { "id": "cordis:101081775", "acronym": "CARIOQA-PMP", "title": "Cold Atom Rubidium Interferometer in Orbit for Quantum Accelerometry – Pathfinder Mission Preparation", "url": "https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101081775", "award": 16995469.75, "currency": "EUR", "measure": "EU contribution (maximum grant agreed)", "start": "2022-12-01" }, { "id": "cordis:101189541", "acronym": "CARIOQA-PHB", "title": "Cold Atom Rubidium Interferometer in Orbit for Quantum Accelerometry – Phase B", "url": "https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101189541", "award": 14199370.14, "currency": "EUR", "measure": "EU contribution (maximum grant agreed)", "start": "2025-10-01" }, { "id": "cordis:820394", "acronym": "ASTERIQS", "title": "Advancing Science and TEchnology thRough dIamond Quantum Sensing", "url": "https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/820394", "award": 9747888.5, "currency": "EUR", "measure": "EU contribution (maximum grant agreed)", "start": "2018-10-01" }, { "id": "cordis:101080136", "acronym": "AMADEUS", "title": "Advancing the market uptake of diamond defects quantum sensors", "url": "https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101080136", "award": 6016720.63, "currency": "EUR", "measure": "EU contribution (maximum grant agreed)", "start": "2022-10-01" }, { "id": "cordis:101189875", "acronym": "ACDC_Q", "title": "Advanced Circuits for Detection and Control of Diamond Quantum Sensors", "url": "https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101189875", "award": 4999864.38, "currency": "EUR", "measure": "EU contribution (maximum grant agreed)", "start": "2025-01-01" } ], "selection": "A project belongs to this pillar when the portal classification has confirmed it there (an editor decision or a high-precision taxonomy rule on its title), as on the technology hub; this covers CORDIS, Funding & Tenders and national projects. Projects not confirmed in any pillar are not counted here.", "snapshots": { "cordis": { "records": 1256, "retrieved": "2026-10-16", "file": "cordis-projects.jsonl" }, "ft": { "records": 91, "retrieved": "2026-10-21", "file": "ft-projects.jsonl" }, "national": { "records": 7469, "retrieved": "2026-10-24", "file": "national-projects.jsonl" } }, "licence_notice": "This export contains rows derived from Open data of the French National Research Agency (ANR) on data.gouv.fr (ANR, data.gouv.fr, ODbL 1.0). Those rows are licensed under the Open Database Licence (ODbL) 1.0, https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/: keep the attribution, and a database that includes them must be published under the ODbL (share-alike). The other rows keep the licence of their own source.", "share_alike": [ { "prefix": "anr", "source": "Open data of the French National Research Agency (ANR) on data.gouv.fr", "attribution": "ANR, data.gouv.fr, ODbL 1.0", "links": { "ANR": "https://anr.fr/", "data.gouv.fr": "https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/anr-01-projets-anr-dos-et-dgds-detail-des-projets-et-des-partenaires", "ODbL 1.0": "https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/" }, "licence": "Open Database Licence (ODbL) 1.0", "licence_url": "https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/", "share_alike": true } ] }, "facilities": [ { "id": "qu-test", "name": "Qu-Test", "country": "EU", "status": "Project period ended, per the source", "sources": [ { "title": "Fraunhofer IAF: Qu-Test", "url": "https://www.iaf.fraunhofer.de/en/researchers/quantum-systems/qu-test.html", "retrieved": "2026-10-19" }, { "title": "Qu-Test: Open call", "url": "https://qu-test.eu/open-call/", "retrieved": "2026-10-21" }, { "title": "Qu-Test: the infrastructure covers computing, communication and sensing, with a quantum sensing test bed (cold atom clocks; positioning, navigation and timing with colour centres in diamond)", "url": "https://qu-test.eu/", "retrieved": "2026-10-27" }, { "title": "Qu-Test: home page", "url": "https://qu-test.eu/", "retrieved": "2026-10-26" } ] }, { "id": "tno-quantum-sensing-testbed", "name": "TNO Quantum Sensing Testbed", "country": "NL", "status": "In operation, per the source", "sources": [ { "title": "TNO: Quantum Sensing Testbed", "url": "https://www.tno.nl/en/technology-science/facilities/quantum-sensing/", "retrieved": "2026-10-27" }, { "title": "TNO Fast Track: test and validate quantum sensing technology", "url": "https://fasttrack.tno.nl/en/activities/test-validate-quantum-sensing-technology/", "retrieved": "2026-10-27" } ] }, { "id": "ptb-qtz", "name": "PTB Quantum Technology Competence Center (QTZ)", "country": "DE", "status": "In development", "sources": [ { "title": "PTB: What is the QTZ?", "url": "https://www.ptb.de/cms/nc/en/ptb/competence-centers/qtz.html", "retrieved": "2026-10-27" } ] }, { "id": "inrim-quamt-ita", "name": "QuaMT-ITA: Quantum Metrology and Testing for Italy", "country": "IT", "status": "In operation, per the source", "sources": [ { "title": "INRiM: QuaMT-ITA", "url": "https://www.inrim.it/en/node/1426", "retrieved": "2026-10-27" } ] } ], "deployment": [], "regions": { "participations": { "eu27": 210, "other": 206 }, "participations_note": "Project-country pairs in EU-funded projects; EU programmes fund mainly participants in the EU and associated countries, so this is not a comparison of regional strength.", "report_figures": [], "report_figures_all_quantum": [ { "id": "quantera-2023-national-programmes", "statement": "Ten of the countries QuantERA surveyed in 2023 confirmed a national funding programme or strategy for quantum technologies: Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.", "value": "10 countries", "geography": "QuantERA member countries (31 EU Member States and associated countries)", "reference_period": "2023", "technology": "Quantum technologies", "kind": "Observation", "citation": "QuantERA, Quantum Technologies Public Policies in Europe (Second edition, 2023). Printed page 16, PDF page 16, Key findings, National policies, National QT strategies and initiatives.", "url": "https://quantera.eu/wp-content/uploads/Quantum-Technologies-Public-Policies-Report-%E2%80%93-2023.pdf" }, { "id": "quantera-2023-rrf-programmes", "statement": "Five surveyed countries funded quantum research through their national recovery and resilience programmes in 2023: Austria, Germany, Italy, Latvia and Spain.", "value": "5 countries", "geography": "QuantERA member countries (31 EU Member States and associated countries)", "reference_period": "2023", "technology": "Quantum technologies", "kind": "Observation", "citation": "QuantERA, Quantum Technologies Public Policies in Europe (Second edition, 2023). Printed page 16, PDF page 16, Key findings, QT programmes within national recovery and resilience programmes, footnote 8.", "url": "https://quantera.eu/wp-content/uploads/Quantum-Technologies-Public-Policies-Report-%E2%80%93-2023.pdf" }, { "id": "quantera-2026-programme-funding", "statement": "QuantERA's calls of 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025 add up to a funding budget of more than EUR 170 million and 140 projects recommended for funding.", "value": "over EUR 170 M (140 projects) (EUR million)", "geography": "QuantERA participating countries", "reference_period": "2017-2025", "technology": "Quantum technologies", "kind": "Observation", "citation": "QuantERA, Funded Projects (Web page as read on 22 October 2026 (calls 2017 to 2025)). Projects funded by QuantERA, Second paragraph.", "url": "https://quantera.eu/quantera-funded-projects/" }, { "id": "oecd-epo-2025-policy-countries", "statement": "More than 30 countries have tailored policies for quantum technologies, including 18 OECD countries with comprehensive national quantum strategies.", "value": "over 30 countries (18 OECD countries with comprehensive strategies)", "geography": "Worldwide", "reference_period": "2025", "technology": "Quantum technologies", "kind": "Observation", "citation": "OECD and European Patent Office, Mapping the global quantum ecosystem (December 2025). Printed page 2, PDF page 2, Forewords, Foreword by the OECD Secretary-General.", "url": "https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2025/12/mapping-the-global-quantum-ecosystem_47891dd2/20251217-0001.pdf" }, { "id": "oecd-epo-2025-quantum-rd-share", "statement": "Quantum's share of public R&D project funding in the OECD Fundstat database rose from about 0.4% in 2015 to 1.1% in 2023, after a peak of 1.2% in 2022.", "value": "approximately 0.4% in 2015 to 1.1% by 2023", "geography": "19 OECD countries and EU programmes in OECD Fundstat", "reference_period": "2015-2023", "technology": "Quantum technologies", "kind": "Observation", "citation": "OECD and European Patent Office, Mapping the global quantum ecosystem (December 2025). Printed page 23, PDF page 23, Executive summary, 6. R&D-focused public policies, Figure E11 and its notes.", "url": "https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2025/12/mapping-the-global-quantum-ecosystem_47891dd2/20251217-0001.pdf" }, { "id": "qedc-2026-public-commitments", "statement": "QED-C estimates public funding commitments for quantum research and innovation at about USD 56.7 billion worldwide, after a rise of more than USD 12.7 billion in a year.", "value": "an estimated $56.7 billion (USD billion)", "geography": "Worldwide", "reference_period": "end of 2025", "technology": "Quantum technologies", "kind": "Estimate", "citation": "Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), managed by SRI International, Global Quantum Computing Market to Double by 2028 (press release on the State of the Global Quantum Industry 2026) (Press release of 14 April 2026). Press release of 14 April 2026, Paragraph on public funding commitments.", "url": "https://quantumconsortium.org/global-quantum-computing-market-to-double/" }, { "id": "oecd-epo-2025-government-commitments", "statement": "The OECD and EPO report, citing QURECA, puts government commitments to quantum science and technology at about USD 55.7 billion worldwide since 2013, as of July 2025, and warns that such totals rest on announcements.", "value": "an estimated USD 55.7 billion", "geography": "Worldwide", "reference_period": "2013-2025-07", "technology": "Quantum science and technology", "kind": "Estimate", "citation": "OECD and European Patent Office, Mapping the global quantum ecosystem (December 2025). Printed page 117, PDF page 117, 8.2 Government funding, Second column, first paragraph.", "url": "https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2025/12/mapping-the-global-quantum-ecosystem_47891dd2/20251217-0001.pdf" }, { "id": "qedc-2026-venture-capital", "statement": "QED-C counts USD 4.9 billion of private venture capital invested in the quantum industry in 2025, more than double the previous record; most of it went to companies in the United States.", "value": "$4.9 billion (USD billion)", "geography": "Worldwide", "reference_period": "2025", "technology": "Quantum technologies", "kind": "Estimate", "citation": "Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), managed by SRI International, Global Quantum Computing Market to Double by 2028 (press release on the State of the Global Quantum Industry 2026) (Press release of 14 April 2026). Press release of 14 April 2026, Paragraph on public funding and venture capital.", "url": "https://quantumconsortium.org/global-quantum-computing-market-to-double/" }, { "id": "oecd-epo-2025-epc-patent-families", "statement": "Applicants in the European Patent Convention member states hold 2,193 international quantum patent families from 2005 to 2024, second to the United States with 3,330.", "value": "2,193 (patent families)", "geography": "European Patent Convention member states (not the EU27)", "reference_period": "2005-2024", "technology": "Quantum technologies", "kind": "Observation", "citation": "OECD and European Patent Office, Mapping the global quantum ecosystem (December 2025). Printed page 44, PDF page 44, 3.3.1 Country relevance in quantum innovation, Text beside Figure 3.3.1, Panel B.", "url": "https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2025/12/mapping-the-global-quantum-ecosystem_47891dd2/20251217-0001.pdf" }, { "id": "oecd-epo-2025-eu-patent-families", "statement": "The report charts an All EU bar for quantum patent families, but states no EU27 count in its text; the value is not available here.", "value": "Not available", "geography": "EU27", "reference_period": "2005-2024", "technology": "Quantum technologies", "kind": "Observation", "citation": "OECD and European Patent Office, Mapping the global quantum ecosystem (December 2025). Printed page 44, PDF page 44, 3.3.1 Country relevance in quantum innovation, Figure 3.3.1, Panel A, All EU bar.", "url": "https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2025/12/mapping-the-global-quantum-ecosystem_47891dd2/20251217-0001.pdf" }, { "id": "qedc-2026-organisations", "statement": "QED-C identified 7,418 quantum-engaged organisations worldwide at the end of 2025, 556 of them pure-play quantum companies.", "value": "7,418 (organisations)", "geography": "Worldwide", "reference_period": "end of 2025", "technology": "Quantum technologies", "kind": "Observation", "citation": "Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), managed by SRI International, Global Quantum Computing Market to Double by 2028 (press release on the State of the Global Quantum Industry 2026) (Press release of 14 April 2026). Press release of 14 April 2026, Paragraph on organisations.", "url": "https://quantumconsortium.org/global-quantum-computing-market-to-double/" }, { "id": "oecd-epo-2025-job-postings", "statement": "Quantum-related job postings concentrate on technical and research occupations: computer science 26%, science and research 25%, education and training 10%; business, marketing and sales together stay under 10%.", "value": "26%", "geography": "Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States", "reference_period": "2024", "technology": "Quantum technologies", "kind": "Observation", "citation": "OECD and European Patent Office, Mapping the global quantum ecosystem (December 2025). Printed page 19, PDF page 19, Executive summary, 4. High technological complexity and skill requirements, First column, second paragraph.", "url": "https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2025/12/mapping-the-global-quantum-ecosystem_47891dd2/20251217-0001.pdf" }, { "id": "qedc-2026-pure-play-workforce", "statement": "QED-C estimates the worldwide workforce of pure-play quantum companies at nearly 16,500 people in 2025, about 2,000 more than a year earlier.", "value": "nearly 16,500 (people)", "geography": "Worldwide", "reference_period": "2025", "technology": "Quantum technologies", "kind": "Estimate", "citation": "Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), managed by SRI International, Global Quantum Computing Market to Double by 2028 (press release on the State of the Global Quantum Industry 2026) (Press release of 14 April 2026). Press release of 14 April 2026, Paragraph on the workforce.", "url": "https://quantumconsortium.org/global-quantum-computing-market-to-double/" } ] }, "gaps": [ "No patent landscape: no CPC group isolates this technology (see the CPC mapping below).", "Patent counts are published documents in a CPC group, not patent families, and no applicant country is available from the search used; the families of companies come from organisation lookups and are not a census.", "Supplier relationships are not documented: companies are participants of EU-funded projects, not verified suppliers, and no customer or supplier link is inferred.", "Projects are assigned to a technology by keywords (a pillar suggestion pending editorial review, or words of the title), so some projects are missed or misplaced.", "Funding covers EU programmes (CORDIS, Funding & Tenders) and the national sources the portal holds; national programmes outside them, private investment and payments are not included.", "The deployment tracker has no milestone history for this technology yet.", "No approved figure from a published report is about this technology alone, so no regional comparison specific to it is shown.", "No production location, capacity, market share or ranking of countries or actors is shown: the sources used do not establish them.", "Research output (publications) by technology is not collected: the portal counts publications by country for quantum as a whole only." ] }