What is QuantERA?

QuantERA ERA-NET Cofund in Quantum Technologies

QuantERA is a leading European network of Research Funding Organisations (RFOs), which supports and subsidises the development of Quantum Technologies (QT). Having put science and technology at its very heart, the QuantERA Consortium invests in excellent Research and Innovation – and the people who make it happen. Capitalising on Europe’s immense talent and cutting-edge infrastructure, it aspires to provide local solutions to global challenges for the benefit of all.

The Programme aims to:

  • provide Calls for Proposals in QT to the European quantum community
  • promote exceptional and original research in QT
  • foster collaboration among researchers across borders
  • provide networking opportunities for research funders engaged in QT
  • spread research excellence across the European Research Area (ERA)
  • conduct comprehensive mapping of relevant national, regional, and European public policies
  • facilitate knowledge transfer and technology commercialisation with industry partners
  • advocate for continued investment and support for QT research and development

As the QuantERA Consortium, we intend to encourage and stimulate high-quality research in Quantum Technologies, contributing to the reinforcement of European scientific leadership in this domain. We identify and fund outstanding research ideas with the potential to establish and advance new lines of Quantum Technologies.

Our programme addresses the increasing demand for collaborative endeavours and a common funding scheme within QT research, which – due to its highly interdisciplinary nature – cannot be confined to an individual institution or state.

QuantERA launches transnational joint Calls for Proposals which are addressed to multinational consortia composed of research groups operating in the network of partner countries.

The QuantERA Programme has received two ERA-NET co-funds (QuantERA I project in 2016 and QuantERA II project in 2020) from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme.

History

The QuantERA Programme traces back to 2014, when the National Science Centre (NCN) in Poland commenced first efforts to mobilise the European scientific community and representatives of Research Funding Organisations (RFOs) to establish a transnational consortium dedicated to Quantum Technologies. In August 2014, first partners expressed their interest in the project by signing and endorsing a joint Letter of Intent. Subsequent months witnessed a steady increase in signatories, whose collective involvement would eventually lead to the Programme’s inception.

In a pivotal meeting held in June 2015 in Kraków, Poland, 31 delegates of RFOs from 20 European and associated countries – united by a common cause – reaffirmed their commitment to create a pan-European multilateral programme in QT, entrusting the NCN with coordination duties. Following the meeting, concentrated efforts were directed towards forging a consortium of united institutions based on shared vision, trust, and mutual understanding – a process which culminated in the formal launch of the QuantERA Programme in December 2016.

Currently, the QuantERA Programme continues within the framework of QuantERA II, launched in 2021. Building upon the achievements of its predecessor, it has witnessed a significant upsurge in the programme participation, with the Consortium comprising a total of 41 RFOs representing 31 countries.

QuantERA II remains committed to advancing the Programme’s objectives in a sustainable manner, upholding its status as the premier European network of public RFOs dedicated to the development of QT.

Coordinator

The National Science Centre (NCN) is a Polish government executive agency set up in 2011 to fund basic research. The primary task of the Centre is to support scientific excellence by means of a variety of funding programmes open to researchers at every stage of their research career. With a budget of over EUR 200 M a year, the NCN funds initiatives in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences and Engineering in the form of research projects, scholarships for PhD students and post-doc internships. To ensure the highest quality of the research selected for funding, the Centre has adopted a two-stage, peer review-based procedure of proposal evaluation. Another important task of the Centre is to foster international cooperation in research and disseminate information on calls for proposals among researchers in Poland and abroad. The NCN also supports the progress of research projects and monitors the spending of the funding granted – through review and assessment of annual and final reports, as well as on-site visits to selected host institutions.
website: ncn.gov.pl

QuantERA Team

QuantERA is a multinational network composed of representatives of 41 Research Funding Organisations aimed ensuring excellent research in Quantum Technologies.

The programme is coordinated by the National Science Centre (NCN), Poland and Call Secretariat managed by Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), France. Strong support for QuantERA activities is provided by a Strategic Advisory Board (SAB), the European Commission and the Quantum Flagship.

The QuantERA team, formed by a group of dedicated experts and experienced collaborators, has proven to be a major contributor to the success of the programme. Established to be effective in operation, the team is ready and skilled to face the challenges of this vast and ambitious ERA-NET programme.

Sylwia Kostka

Programme Coordinator

Konrad Banaszek

Scientific Coordinator

Serguei Fedortchenko

Call Secretariat Leader