QuantERA II (ERA-NET Cofund in Quantum Technologies) is a consortium of Research Funding Organisations (RFOs) supporting research in Quantum Technologies (QT) in Europe. QuantERA II is supported by the European Union’s Future and Emerging Technologies programme (FET).

In March 2021, QuantERA II will launch a joint transnational call for research proposals in Quantum Information and Communication Sciences and Technologies (QuantERA Cofund Call 2021).

Tentative Call timeline:

• Call opening date: 12 March 2021
• Deadline for pre-proposal submission: 13 May 2021
• Deadline for full proposal submission: 15 September 2021
• Notification of accepted proposals: December 2021
• Start date for funded projects: Early 2022

The project consortia must consist of a minimum of 3 eligible partners requesting funding in at least 3 QuantERA member states (list available in poster below). Each partner must fulfil the eligibility conditions of the national/regional research funding organisation, which will described in the Call Announcement annex.

The submitted proposals are expected to be aligned with one of the two QuantERA Cofund Call 2021 topics:

1. 1. Quantum Phenomena and Resources (QPR), where the goal is to lay the foundations for the QT of the future. The focus is on basic quantum science and fundamental physics, and the projects should explore novel quantum phenomena, concepts, resources, and/or address major challenges that prevent broad applications of some quantum technologies;
2. 2. Applied Quantum Science (AQS), where the goal is to take known quantum effects and established concepts from quantum science, translate them into technological applications and develop new products. These could be novel devices that are based on known quantum effects and that will serve a novel application in QT, or devices that translate known quantum applications into products and industrial applications.

Researchers are encouraged to start discussing possible project ideas with prospective partners. In order to facilitate the process of forming research consortia, the consortium created a Partner Search Tool, which is available here: https://ncn.gov.pl/partners/quantera/. This tool can be used by projects looking for partners and partners looking for projects.

More information about the Call is available here. The full Call documentation, including the national addenda, will be available on 12 March.