Horizon Europe is the European Union (EU) funding programme for the period 2021 – 2027, which targets the sectors of research and innovation. The programme’s budget is around € 95.5 billion, of which € 5.4 billion is from NextGenerationEU to stimulate recovery and strengthen the EU’s resilience in the future, and € 4.5 billion is additional aid.

The project aims to establish a universal and interoperable quantum computing ecosystem through a technology-agnostic software stack, enabling integration with classical computing systems such as HPC and cloud infrastructures (including EuroHPC supercomputers). It will promote standardized software architectures, compilers, and simulators to ensure portability across platforms and demonstrate workflows that combine quantum and classical computing to tackle complex challenges, highlighting quantum acceleration or advantage.

The initiative will also support training of software developers in quantum programming, development of algorithm libraries, and integration of quantum error correction. Strong collaboration between Horizon Europe quantum projects and EuroHPC initiatives is emphasized, requiring joint agreement on open software stack interfaces from the start. These interfaces must be open, consultative, and well-documented to ensure alignment and facilitate cooperation.

All developments should adopt open-source platforms, use recognized free/open licenses (e.g., FSF, OSI, EUPL), and be published in open repositories such as GitHub. Furthermore, research outputs—including data and workflows—must follow FAIR principles and be made openly accessible whenever possible, while respecting the principle of “as open as possible, as closed as necessary.”

100%

Expected EU contribution per project: 5.00 million.

• Information and Communication Technologies
• Information Technology
• Research, Technological Development and Innovation

• Businesses
• Educational Institutions
• Large Enterprises
• Legal Entities
• NGOs
• Other Beneficiaries
• Private Bodies
• Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
• Semi-governmental organisations
• Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

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.

Participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Iceland and Norway and the following additional associated countries: Canada, Israel, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

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.

Research and Innovation Foundation
29a Andrea Michalakopoulou, 1075 Nicosia,
P.B. 23422, 1683 Nicosia
Telephone: +357 22205000
Fax: +357 22205001
Email: support@research.org.cy
Website: https://www.research.org.cy/en/

Persons to Contact:

Dr Angelos Ntantos
Scientific Officer
Email: antantos@research.org.cy

Mr. George Christou
Scientific Officer
Email: gchristou@research.org.cy

https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation_en

• Funding & Tenders
• HE Main Work Programme 2025 – Digital, Industry and Space, p.141