What this call funds
Expected Outcome
This action will strengthen Europe's leadership and strategic autonomy in quantum technologies by advancing experimental pilot line capacities as a vital stepping stone toward future industrial-scale quantum hardware production. Qu-Pilot serves as the critical intermediary between academic research and the stable pilot lines under the Chips Joint Undertaking, offering a testbed for technological innovation, reproducibility, and manufacturability.
Expected outcomes include:
- Deployment of experimental quantum pilot lines addressing diverse platforms and materials, laying the groundwork for broader integration into Chips JU pilot lines.
- Establishment of scalable and reproducible quantum fabrication processes, advancing TRL 4–6 technologies and addressing early-stage certification, standardisation, and quality control.
- Reinforcement of a pan-European quantum hardware ecosystem through shared infrastructure and open-access models, fostering participation from SMEs, startups, and research institutes.
- Demonstrated ability to accelerate technology maturity and feed critical feedback loops into future Chips JU stability pilot lines.
- Enhanced synergies with testing infrastructures (e.g., Qu-Test), standardisation efforts, and industrialisation roadmaps, enabling horizontal integration across computing, communication, sensing, and enabling tech domains.
Scope
The action is to implement the pilot production elements of the Qu-Pilot Framework Partnership Agreement. The proposal should advance the maturity of quantum hardware technologies in alignment with EU industrial strategy, emphasising flexibility, innovation, and scalability.
The proposal should address:
- Establishment or enhancement of experimental pilot production infrastructure for TRL 4–6 quantum hardware technologies, with strong R&D orientation.
- Development of pre-industrial processes for: • Quantum processors (e.g., superconducting, trapped ions, photonic),
- Quantum sensors (e.g., NV centers),
- Cryo-compatible packaging and interconnects.
- Integration of cleanroom capabilities with lithography, etching, and deposition tailored to quantum device requirements (e.g., silicon, diamond, III-Vs), ensuring convergence with Chips JU standards.
- Creation of collaborative fabrication access models (shared-cost basis) open to academic and industrial partners.
- Development of standardised workflows for yield analysis, reproducibility, and quality assurance, supporting component certification pathways.
- Continuous engagement with Qu-Test and other testbeds to enable rapid iteration cycles and technology validation.
- Active alignment with Chips JU’s pilot line roadmap to enable seamless transfer of validated technologies once the stability pilot lines are operational.
- Contribution to a transversal European infrastructure serving multiple quantum domains (computing, sensing, communications), ensuring cross-domain integration and maximising synergies.
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 validate technologies starting at TRL 3/4 and confirm their progression to TRL 5/7 by the end of the project.
Eligibility & conditions+
General conditions
1. Admissibility conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
2. Eligible countries
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
3. Other Eligibility Conditions
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
The general criteria are described in the General Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027.
described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Specific conditions
described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]
The documents are described in General Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027.
Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
Application form templates
Please use the application form that you will find in the Submission System. You can find examples of standard application forms in the Reference Documents page.
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA) 
Standard evaluation form (HE CSA) 
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA and CSA Stage 1) 
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA and CSA Stage 1 BLIND)
Standard evaluation form (HE PCP PPI) 
Standard evaluation form (HE COFUND) 
Standard evaluation form (HE FPA) 
Standard evaluation form (HE MSCA) 
Standard evaluation form (HE EIC PATHFINDER CHALLENGES) 
Standard evaluation form (HE EIC PATHFINDER OPEN) 
Standard evaluation form (HE EIC TRANSITION) 
Standard evaluation form (HE EIC Accelerator stage 1 - short proposal) 
Standard evaluation form (HE EIC Accelerator stage 2 - full proposal) 
Guidance
HE Programme Guide 
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
HE MGA 
HE Unit MGA 
Lump Sum MGA 
Operating Grants MGA 
Framework Partnership Agreement FPA 
Call-specific instructions 
Detailed budget table (HE LS) 
Information on financial support to third parties (HE) 
Information on clinical studies (HE) 
Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?"
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 2. Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 3. Research Infrastructures
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 4. Health
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 5. Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 6. Civil Security for Society
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 8. Climate, Energy and Mobility
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 9. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 10. European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE)
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 11. Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 12. Missions
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 13. New European Bauhaus Facility (NEB)
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 14. Horizontal Activities
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
EIC Work Programme 2026
ERC Work Programme 2026
HE Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions 
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement
Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal · synced 2026-08-27