By Cliò E. Agrapidis, PhD, RTDS Group
From public infrastructure to flagship research and hybrid supercomputers, the EU is building a coordinated framework to advance quantum technologies – supporting innovation actors across sectors and strengthening Europe’s leadership through targeted funding and policy alignment.
Quantum technologies have experienced significant momentum in recent months. A wave of announcements from major tech corporations and emerging quantum startups underscores the rapid pace of innovation and intense activity within the field. Some examples: Google’s Willow chip achieved below threshold quantum error correction, while IBM is getting ready to deploy a 4158 qubit hybrid system. Quantinuum and Microsoft demonstrated a 800- fold improvement in error rates using logical qubits.
Showing not only technical breakthrough but also a beyond borders effort, just recently, Toshiba Europe announced quantum secured communication over several hundreds kilometers through already existing optical fibers in Germany.
At first glance—excluding the final entry—Europe may appear to be trailing in the global quantum technology race. However, this perception does not reflect the underlying progress and strategic investments taking place across the continent.
How Quantum Technologies Will Transform Industry and Society
But what lies behind the quantum race?
This field is not only filled with scientific curiosities, it also holds the potential to transform key sectors of our society and economy. The quantum communication example above shows how existing infrastructure can be leveraged to bring cybersecurity to an unprecedented level, with encryption methods leveraging quantum entanglement and that are fundamentally secure against future threats.
Quantum computers would also give us access to a new kind of computation. By making use of qubits, they can simulate the real quantum properties of large molecules, relevant to speed up new drug discoveries, but also those of new kinds of materials and chemical compounds — such as advanced solar cells and next-generation fuels.
This new computational infrastructure will drastically reduce computational times for complex combinatorial problems, important for logistics, finance, or resource allocation. The new quantum capabilities will also open the door to new kind of ultra-precise measurement, powered by quantum sensors, with applications in GPS-independent navigation, medical imaging, and earth sciences.
Inside the EU Quantum Flagship: Goals, Progress, and Impact
The European Commission (EC) started the Quantum Flagship in 2018. With EUR 1 billion in awarded funding, this initiative selects and supports research and innovation projects in the quantum realm. In its infancy, the Flagship set ambitious goals through specific key performance indicators (KPIs). They have currently achieved 95% of these KPIs and are on track to meet the remaining ones as well. This progress is guided by a Strategic Research Agenda. Its latest edition outlines a strategic roadmap for this decade, ensuring long-term coherence between scientific ambition and public funding.
The Flagship’s coordination fosters synergies among universities, startups, large companies, and national initiatives. By supporting projects across the full innovation chain, the Flagship plays a key role in transforming scientific breakthroughs into technologies that benefit society and industry. Moreover, through the aforementioned agenda and its regular reporting, the Flagship informs EU decision-makers on progress, gaps, and opportunities in the quantum field. These efforts help ensure that Europe develops independent capabilities in quantum communication, computing, and sensing – reducing reliance on non-European technologies and supporting innovation-led growth.
Behind the Breakthroughs: The EU’s Role in Quantum Innovation
Quantum technologies are central to the European Commission’s vision for digital leadership. As part of the broader objectives of the Digital Decade policy framework, quantum innovation is recognised as a strategic area for ensuring Europe’s technological sovereignty and competitiveness.
To support these goals, the European Commission is leveraging a range of coordinated funding tools and policy initiatives. Among them is the European Chips Act, which includes a dedicated focus on next-generation microelectronics, including quantum chips. This initiative aims to boost Europe’s capacity to design, develop, and produce quantum devices—laying the groundwork for scalable, low-cost, high-volume manufacturing within the EU. By doing so, it not only supports innovation but also strengthens supply chain resilience in critical sectors.
Another key funding avenue is Horizon Europe Cluster 4 – Digital, Industry and Space, which regularly includes calls for proposals related to quantum technologies. These calls support research projects across a wide range of topics, from quantum computing and simulation to quantum communication and sensing. They are instrumental in helping European researchers and companies maintain a competitive edge, bridging the gap between research excellence and industrial leadership.
Through this layered approach—policy alignment, strategic investment, and targeted research funding—the EU is fostering an innovation ecosystem where quantum technologies can mature into deployable solutions with real societal and economic impact.
Europe’s Hybrid Quantum-Classical Supercomputing Initiative
In addition to legislation and overarching policy goals, the EC supports quantum technologies as part of the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking. Here, they plan on building and installing quantum computers within the supercomputers that are part of the Joint Undertaking. This way, the computing network will effectively be composed of hybrid quantum-classical machines. The quantum computers are being installed in Czechia, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and Poland.
This setup is particularly important because it reflects a European commitment to shared, public research infrastructure. By making these powerful hybrid computers freely accessible to researchers across sectors — including universities, startups, and public labs — Europe ensures that innovation is not limited to those with large private budgets. It also enables scientists to start experimenting with quantum computing techniques today, which is key to building skills, testing ideas, and accelerating real-world applications.
Looking Ahead: The EU Quantum Strategy and Quantum Act
And while many resources are already available to support quantum advancements, the EC plans to propose an EU quantum strategy in the second quarter of 2025, according to the Work Program 2025. It will also put forth a proposal for a Quantum Act, to be announced by the end of 2025, marking a new funding program fully dedicated to this area. This forthcoming strategy and legislation underscore the EU’s determination to lead not only in research, but also in deployment, scale-up, and sovereignty in quantum technologies.
The aforementioned Quantum Flagship has generated impressive scientific breakthroughs, from advances in quantum communication to promising developments in quantum computing and simulation. Now, as the EU plans to capitalize on these advances, it will focus on ensuring that research outcomes translate into concrete innovations that benefit society, industry, and strategic interests.
Bridging the Quantum Innovation Gap: From Research to Market
Public funding plays a pivotal role in bringing scientific advancements to market. Horizon Europe and other European funding programs play a critical role in bridging the gap between research and real-world development. Calls are increasingly designed to encourage Technology Readiness Level (TRL) progression, incentivizing projects that move from proof-of-concept toward market viability. In the case of quantum technologies, this means supporting everything from materials research to pilot lines and demonstrators, including industry partner for use cases. With a new quantum-focused funding program starting this year, Europe sets out to be a leader in quantum innovation.
How RTDS can help bring quantum research to market
To turn your high-potential idea into a successful, fundable project, you will need to align with EU priorities, find the right partners, and have the right mix of expertise in proposal writing and impact articulation.
With more than 20 years of experience in EU-funded projects, RTDS can support your idea in every step of the way. As a partner experienced in project development and coordination, RTDS helps researchers and innovators translate cutting-edge ideas into competitive project proposals — ensuring that innovation journeys are not just scientifically excellent, but also strategically aligned with Europe’s future.
Get Support for Your Quantum Project Proposal
The EU’s commitment to quantum is stronger than ever, and the continent is poised to be a major player in the global race toward quantum advantage.
If you have a promising idea but could use support to navigate the EU funding landscape, need help in finding the right partners, or want to strengthen the dissemination, communication, and exploitation strategy of your project, get in touch with RTDS to see how we can support your quantum journey.
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