The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) has reached a significant milestone in the European quantum landscape by approving Decision No. 31/2026. This decision designates 13 European startups as the recipients of the Quantum Grand Challenge call (HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-QGC-02), marking a pivotal step in the continent's push toward quantum supremacy.
Selected startups will be granted Phase 1 Coordination and Support Action (CSA) funding. This initial financial injection is designed to serve as a foundational milestone, allowing these emerging companies to establish technical proof-of-concepts. By focusing on the early stages of development, the initiative aims to bridge the gap between theoretical research and scalable hardware.
The Quantum Grand Challenge serves as a strategic framework to accelerate the maturation of Quantum Processing Units (QPUs). By providing a structured pathway for startups, the EuroHPC JU is fostering an environment where innovative hardware can be validated and refined under a coordinated European effort. This move is expected to catalyze the development of high-performance quantum computing infrastructure.
This selection highlights the growing importance of public-private partnerships in the quantum ecosystem. By supporting 13 distinct entities, the EuroHPC JU is diversifying the technological approaches being explored, ensuring that a variety of hardware architectures can be tested and scaled to meet future industrial and scientific demands.