This call aims at establishing a strategic European initiative to develop scalable, modular, and interoperable photonic quantum computing platforms.
Status: OPEN
Reference: HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-PQC-06
Publication date: 2 June 2026
Opening date:
Deadline model: Single-stage
Deadline date: 26 January 2027, 17:00 (CET)
Description:
Proposals for this call are expected to address and provide credible solutions to at least two major technical roadblocks currently limiting the advancement of photonic quantum computing such as:
- The lack of deterministic, high-efficiency photonic entanglement and loss-tolerant architectures suitable for fault-tolerant scaling
- The absence of a standardised, integrated control stack combining photonic hardware, firmware, and system software with reliable benchmarking across platforms.
Proposals for this call are expected to be led by a startup with demonstrated expertise in photonic quantum computing. The startup should collaborate with relevant academic, industrial, and RTO partners to ensure both technological depth and market orientation. The consortium should also include at least one major end-user whose operational needs will shape the platform design, and whose infrastructure will host the field demonstration of the project’s results.
These are the expected outcomes from selected proposals:
- By 2028, demonstration of a photonic NISQ processor with ≥100 photonic qubits.
- By 2030, delivery of a full-stack, high-connectivity photonic quantum computer, with modular scalability.