Grand Challenge On Quantum Sensors For Inertial Navigation
HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-11
- Programme
- DIGITAL
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Open (31094502)
- Opening Date
- January 15, 2026
- Deadline
- April 15, 2026
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €1,000,000
- Min Grant Amount
- €1,000,000
- Max Grant Amount
- €1,000,000
- Expected Number of Grants
- 1
- Keywords
- HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-11HORIZON-CL4-2026-04Sensing
Description
Expected Outcome: This topic is the first phase of a two-phase competitive structure supported by Horizon Europe, implemented via a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) in close collaboration with the European Investment Bank (EIB).
- Phase 1 (this topic): A CSA focused on readiness-analysis in terms of exploitation and investments, benchmarking the commercial viability of quantum enabled navigation systems. The aim is to deliver concrete outputs that improve the conditions for use of the supported projects through credible technical, industrialisation and financial roadmaps, validated against investor requirements (e.g. EIB, InvestEU). Activities also include analyses of investor-readiness and supply-chain sovereignty.
- Phase 2: For further information, see the indirectly managed action “HORIZON-CL4 Quantum Top-Up to InvestEU: Grand Challenge Phase 2” in the Cluster 4 part of the Horizon Europe 2026/2027 Work Programme. This CSA is designed to allow the best possible application in Phase 2 and the current CSA results may therefore inform applications by beneficiaries to investment support managed by the EIB under InvestEU (separate procedures).
Under Phase 1 projects are expected to establish a comprehensive technical and financial roadmap that demonstrates the potential of the proposed Q-INS solutions, and at least deliver evidence-based design and benchmarking packages for reduced-scale systems ( such as documentation, test/benchmark reports and evidence of pre-existing or externally financed prototypes) in one of the following two categories:
- Category 1 (cold-atoms Q-INS): Q-INS based on cold-atom interferometry (or other technology of at least equivalent performance) featuring long-term navigation accuracy (<10 m/hour) due to reduced drift with respect to commercial Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). End-user requirements together with documented benchmark evidence from existing or externally financed prototypes will be collected for demonstrations in maritime or aviation applications.
- Category 2 (Chip-scale Q-INS): Low C-SWAP Q-INS measuring acceleration, rotation rate, and/or magnetic field, aimed at the implementation of chip-scale sensors based on defect centers and vacancies in crystals or on warm atomic vapours (including nuclear magnetic resonance), for applications e.g. in small satellites, UAVs, and autonomous transport.
Proposals should target systems that are already sufficiently mature to enable credible benchmarking and industrial road-mapping. Specific expected outcomes include:
- A detailed technical roadmap, including system architecture, integration strategy, performance milestones, risk assessments and industrialisation plan for scalable production
- The industrialisation plan should be validated in conjunction with the EIB requirements, including commercialization timelines, and should include at least the following:
- Detailed Q-INS architecture based on quantum sensing techniques hybridised with classical IMUs,
- Compliance assessment for SWaP-C requirements, environmental resilience, and real-world integration,
- An assessment of dependencies on non-EU suppliers of critical components and proposal of effective mitigation measures in view of a sovereign supply chain,
- Potential list of end-users to capture system requirements and use-case constraints
- A comprehensive financial roadmap and viability assessment covering business models, market analyses, commercialization pathways, revenue projections and investment criteria
- Documented lab-validation/benchmarking of an existing or externally financed prototype (no EU funding of R&I or prototype development in this CSA), with preliminary benchmark results.
- An application strategy identifying target sectors (maritime, aviation, space, autonomous systems) and quantifiable advantages over classical IMUs.
The Grand Challenge on Quantum Sensors for Inertial Navigation aims to advance the development of quantum-enabled navigation systems for use in GNSS-denied or contested environments. Q-INS combines quantum sensors with classical inertial measurement subsystems to deliver reliable, resilient, and sovereign positioning capabilities. The topic supports the EU’s ambition to strengthen technological sovereignty in strategic navigation infrastructures, aligned with the objectives of the STEP and the Digital Decade.
Under this topic (Phase 1), projects are expected to deliver a comprehensive technical, industrialisation, and financial roadmap, including criteria for investment readiness, bankability, risk assessment, and scalability, thereby laying the groundwork for future investments via EU financial instruments under InvestEU, which benefits from a dedicated top-up from Horizon Europe for this purpose[1].
Under Phase 1, Expressions of Interest from potential end-user partners are strongly encouraged. Tailored advisory services from EIB Advisory may support financial structuring to prepare for Phase 2.
Projects funded under this action are expected to span approximately six months, with an EU contribution up to EUR 0.5 million.
[1] HORIZON-CL4 Indirectly managed action “Quantum Top-Up to InvestEU: Grand Challenge Phase 2”
Destination & Scope
Leadership in frontier technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Quantum, Photonics and Semiconductors is essential to Europe’s economic security and global competitiveness. Building on the ambition of becoming the “AI Continent” and in line with the concrete actions devised in the Apply AI Strategy[1], the EU will consolidate its world-class research ecosystem through initiatives like the RAISE network of AI science labs, the development of safe and efficient frontier AI models, and the deployment of next-generation AI agents and robotics in strategic sectors. In parallel, a long-term quantum strategy will reinforce Europe’s excellence across quantum computing, sensing and communication, supported by new infrastructures and standardisation to secure technological sovereignty. Photonics and semiconductor technologies will remain critical enablers for the digital and green transitions, with investments in advanced integrated photonic devices and resilient semiconductor ecosystems ensuring Europe’s capacity to innovate, scale and compete globally. Foresight and support to emerging materials and technologies will further strengthen Europe’s position at the cutting edge to make sure Europe’s does not miss the emergence of new disruptive technologies, aligning with the Draghi report and the Competitiveness Compass to secure a cohesive, sovereign and future-proof European industrial base.
Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in both Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Innovation Actions (IAs) falling under this destination. For additional information please see “Restrictions on the participation of legal entities established in China” found in General Annex B of the General Annexes.
[1] COM(2025)723 Apply AI Strategy
Eligibility & Conditions
General conditions
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
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 Eligible Conditions
In order to achieve the expected outcomes, and safeguard the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, and security, it is important to avoid a situation of technological dependency on a non-EU source, in a global context that requires the EU to take action to build on its strengths, and to carefully assess and address any strategic weaknesses, vulnerabilities and high-risk dependencies which put at risk the attainment of its ambitions. For this reason, participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Iceland and Norway and the following additional associated countries: Canada, Israel, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In addition, entities established in third countries which may become associated to Horizon Europe during 2026 and 2027 may be eligible to participate in this topic if the third country is identified for this topic as an eligible country in the List of Participating Countries in Horizon Europe at the time of submission of the application[[See the List of Participating Countries in Horizon Europe available at https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/guidance/list-3rd-country-participation_horizon-euratom_en.pdf.]]. In any case, the association agreement to the Programme must apply by the time of the signature of the grant agreement.
For the duly justified and exceptional reasons listed in the paragraph above, in order to guarantee the protection of the strategic interests of the Union and its Member States, entities established in an eligible country listed above, but which are directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or by a non-eligible country entity, may not participate in the action unless it can be demonstrated, by means of guarantees positively assessed by their eligible country of establishment, that their participation to the action would not negatively impact the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security. Entities assessed as high-risk suppliers of mobile network communication equipment within the meaning of ‘restrictions for the protection of European communication networks’ (or entities fully or partially owned or controlled by a high-risk supplier) cannot submit guarantees.[[ The guarantees shall in particular substantiate that, for the purpose of the action, measures are in place to ensure that: a) control over the applicant legal entity is not exercised in a manner that retrains or restricts its ability to carry out the action and to deliver results, that imposes restrictions concerning its infrastructure, facilities, assets, resources, intellectual property or know-how needed for the purpose of the action, or that undermines its capabilities and standards necessary to carry out the action; b) access by a non-eligible country or by a non-eligible country entity to sensitive information relating to the action is prevented; and the employees or other persons involved in the action have a national security clearance issued by an eligible country, where appropriate; c) ownership of the intellectual property arising from, and the results of, the action remain within the recipient during and after completion of the action, are not subject to control or restrictions by non-eligible countries or non-eligible country entity, and are not exported outside the eligible countries, nor is access to them from outside the eligible countries granted, without the approval of the eligible country in which the legal entity is established.]]
The following additional eligibility criteria apply: Proposals must be submitted by a single legal entity (mono-beneficiary CSA) wich is an SME.
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
are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
The following additions to the general award criteria aspects apply:
- Excellence: credibility of the technical approach for road-mapping and benchmarking; adequacy of performance metrics and methodology (e.g. drift rate, SWaP-C, environmental resilience) and early end-user engagement to define requirements.
- Impact: enhancing the EU stance around quantum inertial navigation from different angles[[https://qt.eu/media/pdf/Strategic-Reseach-and-Industry-Agenda-2030.pdf]]; expected contribution to EU technological sovereignty (including mitigation of non-EU supply-chain dependencies) and to societal, industrial and economic benefits; credibility of the path to commercialisation and investor-readiness.
- Quality and efficiency of the implementation: credibility of the work plan, resources and risk management for a mono-beneficiary CSA; capacity to deliver the specified outputs (technical & financial roadmap, validation/benchmarking reports, viability assessment); appropriateness of the team and access to facilities for validation/benchmarking of existing prototypes.
are 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]
Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE CSA)
Please note that the application form has been customised for this topic to include the additions to the standard evaluation criteria. Please make sure that you use the customised form available in the Submission System for this topic, and not the standard one.
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE CSA)
Please note that the evaluation form has been customised for this topic to include the additions to the standard evaluation criteria. The customised evaluation form will be made available to the evaluators.
Guidance
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Call-specific instructions
Ownership Control Declaration Annex (new template to be added in January 2026)
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Frequently Asked Questions About Grand Challenge On Quantum Sensors For Inertial Navigation
Support & Resources
Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
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