European Union reveals test projects for first tranche of €1bn quantum computing fund

EU lavishes €132m in first 20 projects under the Quantum Technologies Flagship

The European Union has revealed the first 20 projects to receive funding under its Quantum Technologies Flagship scheme, part of the EU's Horizon 2020 program.

The projects will receive a total of €132 million in funding and will focus on quantum compute, communications, simulation, and methodology and sensing. In total, the Quantum Technologies Flagship will disperse €1 billion in funding to support around 150 projects and more than 5,000 researchers across the EU over the next ten years.

Most of the projects named in the first tranche are somewhat niche.

For example, the ASTERIQS project is developing precise sensors made from diamonds to measure such things as magnetic fields, temperature and pressure; while PhoQuS aims to understand photonic quantum fluids as a foundation for building a platform for quantum simulation.

However, some of the funds will find their way to more mainstream projects, such as MicroQC, a project to build a scalable quantum computer; and, S2QUIP, which is developing quantum integrated photonic circuits for communications and networking.

Perhaps most interesting of all, though, is the Quantum Internet Alliance, which is aiming to build a ‘quantum internet' enabling quantum communication between any two nodes on Earth. Such communications ought, in theory, be completely secure from eavesdropping.

These 20 project will be funded at least until September 2021, with the expectation that quantum computing research and development will enjoy further funding in the EU's next financial framework from 2021 to 2028. That funding, though, might be affected by the UK's exit from the European Union.

The development of quantum technologies will be supported by the proposed Horizon Europe programme for research and space applications, as well as the proposed Digital Europe programme.

This is intended to develop the EU's "strategic digital capacities" and "the development of Europe's first quantum computers [as well as ] their integration with classical supercomputers, and of a pan-European quantum communication infrastructure".

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