HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-12

Standards for Quantum Technologies – Coordination and Support Action (CSA) - CANCELLED -

Call text (as on F&T portal)

View on F&T portal

Expected Outcome:

This action will support and accelerate the development and adoption of European and international standards for quantum technologies, enhancing interoperability quality/reliability assurance, and trust in quantum systems. It will strengthen Europe's leadership in the global quantum standardisation landscape and ensure that European industrial and research priorities are well represented and integrated into emerging standards.

Expected outcomes include:

  • Delivery of concrete, EU-relevant pre-normative standards and technical specifications across quantum computing, communication, and sensing.
  • Substantial contribution of European stakeholders, notably SMEs and start-ups in international standardisation bodies (e.g., ISO/IEC, ITU-T, ETSI), with alignment to EU industrial strategies.
  • Promotion of cross-sectoral interoperability through standardised interfaces, control protocols, reliability in operating conditions and benchmarking methodologies, reducing market fragmentation and technical barriers.
  • Creation of practical support tools such as user guidelines, training modules, and best practices to accelerate the uptake and implementation of quantum standards.

Scope:

The CSA will coordinate and support standardisation activities for quantum technologies in areas such as quantum computing, communication, sensing, and control. Proposals should include:

  • Build on the roadmaps of European standardisation organisations to (i) standardise results from quantum projects funded under Horizon Europe, the Digital Europe Programme, and EuroHPC JU in line with stakeholder priorities, and (ii) foster an active industrial standardisation community to promote engagement and uptake within the European quantum industry.
  • Enabling broad stakeholder participation in international standardisation activities (e.g. ISO/IEC, ITU-T, ETSI), promoting EU priorities.
  • Support interoperability and integration of quantum systems through standardisation of interfaces, protocols, and benchmarking methodologies.
  • Develop explanatory documentation and training material to facilitate adoption and implementation of the developed standards.
  • Drafting and developing concrete standards or technical specifications, in cooperation with relevant standardisation bodies, in areas such as:
    • Hardware-software interfaces in quantum computing,
    • Quantum sensing protocols and metrology methods,
    • Control electronics and device modularity for quantum systems,
    • Performance and benchmarking methodologies.
  • Supporting the participation of quantum stakeholders in European and international standardisation organisations (e.g. CEN-CENELEC, ETSI, ISO/IEC, ITU-T)
  • Coordination with existing European and international standardisation organisations to ensure alignment and avoid duplication.
  • Development of support materials such as user guides, training modules, and best practices for the standards developed.
  • Organisation of workshops and consultations with quantum stakeholders (including SMEs, start-ups, and large industry) to ensure inclusivity and consensus building.

The proposal must present a clear plan for stakeholder engagement, deliverables, and budget justification, including person-days per task and daily rates. A single proposal is expected. European standardisation organisations (ESOs) are encouraged to lead or be key partners in the consortium.

This topic is cancelled. The cancellation follows the adoption of Council Regulation (EU) 2026/150 of 16 January 2026 amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1173 on establishing the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (‘EuroHPC JU’), which enlarged the mandate of EuroHPC JU to encompass, inter alia, quantum technologies.

News flashes

2026-10-08

EVALUATION RESULTS

Call HORIZON-CL4-2026-04

Published: 12.12.2025

Deadline: 15.04.2026

Available budget: EUR 221,800,000.00

The results of the evaluation for each topic are as follows:

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04

DATA-02

DATA-03

DATA-06

EMERGING-01

EMERGING-08

EMERGING-09

Number of proposals submitted (including proposals transferred from or to other calls)

31

6

63

4

8

41

Number of inadmissible proposals

0

0

2

1

0

0

Number of ineligible proposals

1

2

3

1

3

2

Number of above-threshold proposals

24

2

39

2

3

30

Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals

222,798,016.25 €

7,993,073.04 €

538,094,514.11 €

33,999,387.25 €

53,990,531.25 €

173,178,667.04 €

Number of proposals retained for funding

3

1

3

1

1

1

Number of proposals in the reserve list

1

1

1

1

1

1

Funding threshold [1]

14.00

14.00

14.50

12.50

14.50

14.50

Number of proposals with scores lower or equal to 15 and higher or equal to 14

3

1

8

0

1

2

Number of proposals with scores lower than 14 and higher or equal to 13

7

0

5

0

1

3

Number of proposals with scores lower than 13 and higher or equal to 10

14

1

26

2

1

25

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04

EMERGING -14

EMERGING-15

EMERGING-17

EMERGING-19

HUMAN-01

HUMAN-02

Number of proposals submitted (including proposals transferred from or to other calls)

1

2

1

18

105

32

Number of inadmissible proposals

0

1

0

0

1

0

Number of ineligible proposals

0

0

0

2

0

3

Number of above-threshold proposals

1

1

1

12

81

19

Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals

3,043,282.50 €

999,976.25 €

1,163,306.74 €

179,979,870.75 €

387,981,592.72 €

126,943,323.25 €

Number of proposals retained for funding

1

1

1

3

6

2

Number of proposals in the reserve list

0

0

0

3

2

1

Funding threshold [1]

11.50

13.50

12.50

13.50

14.50

13.50

Number of proposals with scores lower or equal to 15 and higher or equal to 14

0

0

0

2

12

1

Number of proposals with scores lower than 14 and higher or equal to 13

0

1

0

1

20

3

Number of proposals with scores lower than 13 and higher or equal to 10

1

0

1

9

49

15

[1] Proposals with the same score were ranked according to the priority order procedure set out in the call conditions (for HE, in the General Annexes to the Work Programme or specific arrangements in the specific call/topic conditions). For HE, to determine the ranking for ‘Innovation actions’, the score for ‘Impact’ is given a weight of 1.5.

Summary of observer report:

The two independent observers were tasked by the EC services to follow the evaluation processes of call HORIZON-CL4-2026-04 with respect to their conduct, transparency, and fairness, and to provide recommendations for process improvement. This Observers’ Report consolidates their observations and recommendations. Based on the observed Consensus Meetings and Panel Meetings, the evaluation procedures for all topics were carried with transparency, efficiency, fairness, consistency, impartiality with homogenous criteria in compliance with the applicable evaluation rules for each stage of the selection exercise (Individual Evaluation, Consensus Meetings, Quality Check, Cross-reading, Panel Meeting and Final Ranking for funding). The evaluation processes were carried out in full accordance with the Horizon Europe evaluation rules and the provided Digital Europe Programme evaluation briefings. The Call with 12 topics received 312 proposals, where 5 were inadmissible, 17 ineligible and 0 withdrawn. The number of proposals per topic varied from 1 to 105. Proposals were evaluated by 218 experts, with a satisfactory gender balance (44,5% female; 55,5% male). The majority of experts were from EU Member States and a small number from associated countries. Sixteen invited experts declined due to conflict of interest or other reasons. In conclusion, the overall assessment of all submitted proposals were executed in full transparency and compliance with the Horizon Europe applicable rules in a fair and impartial manner to select the best proposals for funding according to the topics’ specifications and expected results. The observers’ conclusion is that the scientific evaluations have been carried out in a just, transparent, and unbiased manner based on the Horizon Europe evaluation rules.

We recently informed the applicants about the evaluation results for their proposals.

For questions, please contact the Research Enquiry Service.

2026-10-08

PROPOSAL NUMBERS

Call HORIZON-CL4-2026-04 has closed on 15.04.2026

312 proposals have been submitted.

The breakdown per topic is:

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-02

31

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-03

6

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-06

63

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-14

1

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-15

2

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-17

1

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-01

105

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-02

32

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01

4

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-08

8

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-09

41

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-19

18

Evaluation results are expected to be communicated in July 2026.

2026-10-08

The European Commission intends to cancel this topic. As of today, therefore, the submission platform for this topic is no longer accessible.

The envisioned cancellation follows the adoption of COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) 2026/150 of 16 January 2026 amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1173 on establishing the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking, which enlarged the mandate of EuroHPC joint undertaking to encompass, inter alia, quantum technologies. Consequently, EuroHPC JU may include in its own work programme for 2026 similar topics and potentially open them for submission in the second half of this year. Any relevant information will be made available by EuroHPC JU and information on all calls decided under the EuroHPC work programmes is also available here. Applicants may also refer to the EuroHPC JU website.

The cancellation is subject to the update of the Work Programme, once all necessary procedural steps for its adoption are finalised. It is currently foreseen in fourth quarter of 2026.

2026-10-08

If your lump sum budget contains any cost items in cost category C and/or D, please make sure to justify these items in the ‘Any comments’ sheet of the Excel detailed lump sum budget table.

The reason is that we simplified the proposal template, removing this information from Part B and bringing it closer to the relevant budget items.

Specifically, you must include justification in the ‘Any comments’ sheet if you are in any of the following situations:

  • If the sum of the costs for ’travel and subsistence’, ‘equipment’, and ‘other goods, works and services’ (i.e. the purchase costs) exceeds 15% of the personnel costs for a participant. If this is the case, justify the most expensive cost item(s) up to the level that the remaining costs are below 15% of personnel costs.
  • If other cost categories (e.g. internally invoiced goods and services) are used.
  • If in-kind contributions are used (non-financial resources made available free of charge by third parties, which must be included as direct costs in the corresponding cost category, e.g. personnel costs or purchase costs for equipment).

2026-10-08
The submission session is now available for: HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-18, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-17, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-02, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-03, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-08, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-06, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-02, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-12, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-09, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-11, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-19, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-01, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-14, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-15
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call topic details
Call status: Closed
Opening date: 2026-01-15 (8 months ago)
Closing date: 2026-04-15 (5 months ago)
Procedure: single-stage

Budget: 0
Expected grants: 0
News flashes

This call topic has been appended 5 times by the EC with news.

  • 2026-10-08
    evaluation results call horizon-cl4-2026...
  • 2026-10-08
    proposal numbers call horizon-cl4-2026-...
  • 2026-10-08
    the european commission intends to cance...
  • 2026-10-08
    if your lump sum budget contains any cos...
  • 2026-10-08
    the submission session is now available...
Source information

Showing the latest information. Found 10 versions of this call topic in the F&T portal.

Information from

  • 2026-10-08_06-47-44
  • 2026-08-21_06-45-52
  • 2026-04-16_06-32-49
  • 2026-04-10_06-32-58
  • 2026-03-03_06-32-33
  • 2026-02-19_06-32-03
  • 2026-01-20_06-30-58
  • 2026-01-15_06-30-55
  • 2026-01-14_06-30-50
  • 2025-12-16_06-30-54

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Work Programme info
Added 8 months ago by Alrun Hauke
Eligibility for this topic is restricted under art. 22.5 of the Horizon Europe regulation (see [1]). Specifically, under art. 22.5, participation for projects under this call topic is restricted to legal entities established in EU member states, Iceland, Norway, associated countries and OECD countries. As part of the proposal submission for this topic, consortium members have to fill in the ownership control declaration (see [3]). The coordinator has to collect these forms from all partners and submit them as a single appendix to the proposal. The ownership control declarations are examined by the EC as part of the evaluation process. If it is found that a consortium partner is established in one of the eligible countries listed above, but controlled by an entity established in a non-eligible third country, the partner in question will have to be removed from the consortium and its efforts distributed elsewhere. [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/695/oj/eng [3] https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/temp-form/af/ownership-control-declaration_en.docx

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Timeline

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Outcome expected · 15 Sep 2026 (3 weeks ago)

Next: Grant agreement signed, 2 months from now (15 Dec 2026, estimated)

Today

Work programme published

15 Nov 2025 · est.

Call published

16 Dec 2025

Call opens

15 Jan 2026

Call closes

15 Apr 2026

Outcome expected

15 Sep 2026 · est.

Grant agreement signed

15 Dec 2026 · est.

Preparation Open for submission Evaluation Grant preparation Not yet reached
  1. Work programme published Estimated

    15 Nov 2025 · 10 months ago

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  2. Call published

    16 Dec 2025 · 9 months ago

    This topic was first published in TopicTree.

  3. Call opens

    15 Jan 2026 · 8 months ago

    Submissions can be made from this date.

  4. Call closes

    15 Apr 2026 · 5 months ago

    Deadline to submit a proposal.

  5. Outcome expected Estimated

    15 Sep 2026 · 3 weeks ago

    The maximum time to inform applicants of the evaluation outcome is five months after the call closes.

  6. Grant agreement signed Estimated

    15 Dec 2026 · 2 months from now

    The maximum time to sign the grant agreement is three months after applicants are informed of the outcome.

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