The Quantum Technologies Flagship is a long-term research and innovation initiative that aims to put Europe at the forefront of the second quantum revolution.
The Quantum Technologies Flagship aims to support the work of hundreds of quantum researchers over 10 years, with an expected budget of €1 billion from the EU.
Following the Quantum Manifesto in 2016, the Flagship was launched in 2018, bringing together research institutions, and industry and public funders, consolidating and expanding European scientific leadership and excellence in quantum technologies.
Its goal is to support the transformation of European research into commercial applications that make full use of the disruptive potential of quantum. It is funding projects in four core application areas:
- quantum computing
- quantum simulation
- quantum communication
- quantum sensing and metrology
It also funds research into the basic science behind quantum technologies, as well as education and international cooperation activities in quantum technologies.
In the Flagship’s ramp-up phase (2018-2022), its overall budget was €152 million for a total of 24 projects, with over 1,600 researchers involved.
To mark the end of this phase, a report (.pdf) was published with details of its achievements.
Two prominent projects were:
- OpenSuperQ: a quantum computer system of globally competitive performance based on integrated electric circuits made from superconducting metals, to be made available at Forschungszentrum Jülich (DE).
- AQTION: a first-of-its-kind trapped ion system, powered from a single wall-mounted plug and with an extremely low power consumption of 1.5 kW, similar to what is needed to operate a hairdryer.
The next phase of the Quantum Flagship (funded under Horizon Europe) is now well underway, with a total budget of over €400 million and more than twenty new projects. Its aim is to consolidate and expand European research leadership in quantum technologies and to bring research results closer to industrial exploitation. The Digital Europe Programme will provide additional linked funding for quantum technologies in order to develop and reinforce Europe’s strategic digital capacities.
The Flagship’s research goals are shaped by its Strategic Research Agenda on Quantum technologies, to which over 2,000 European quantum experts have contributed. Its long-term vision is to develop in Europe a so-called quantum internet, where quantum computers, simulators and sensors are interconnected via quantum communication networks.
