European Calls

European photonics calls under Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026/2027:

HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-01: Advanced manufacturing for key products (IA) 

Opening date: 6 January 2026

Deadline: 21 April 2026

Indicative budget: € 38 million

Exepcted outcome:

• Advanced manufacturing technology and machinery becomes available in Europe for the manufacturing of key and high-performance products;
• Where relevant, production becomes increasingly circular through the reuse of secondary raw materials; and/or innovative advanced materials are incorporated in 
  manufactured products, leading to better performance and quality;
• Resource efficiency in terms of materials and energy is increased significantly; and
• Circularity, productivity and competitiveness are increased, and hence resilience of European industry is enhanced. 

Scope: This topic addresses technologies and machinery for advanced manufacturing, focusing on manufacturing excellence and on increasing circularity, including through the 
better use of innovative advanced materials and secondary raw materials. The focus is on key manufactured components and products that are competitive and have enhanced performance, 
and contribute to Europe’s technological leadership in manufacturing, but which are at risk of being lost to Europe or rely on raw materials or parts whose supply is mostly coming from 
outside Europe.

Proposals should develop technologies and machinery to enable the manufacturing of these components with a minimal use of critical raw materials [reference to overall targets] or 
imported materials. This includes an increased use of secondary raw materials or biobased materials or revalorised components.

Where appropriate to enhance performance and quality, proposals should target the use of innovative advanced materials (such as lightweight, functionalised or self-healing materials). 
In this case, the development of the advanced materials should not be the main focus of proposals, nevertheless the necessary steps to adapt such innovative advanced materials to the 
needs of the manufacturing application should be included. These can include digital twins for materials as well as SSbD-design steps. 

Examples of advanced manufacturing technologies and machinery include, but are not restricted to:
Innovative additive manufacturing;

• Hybrid manufacturing (additive, subtractive);
• Photonics;
• Advanced joining technologies;
• Polymer composite manufacturing;
• Advanced technologies for surface treatment and structuring, to tailor surface properties 
  for specific applications;
• Manufacturing of components with lightweight materials; and
• In-line testing. 

Proposals should include a business case and exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination.

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-18: Large-Scale Photonic Quantum Computing Platform Technologies (RIA)

Opening date: 15 January 2026

Deadline: 15 April 2026

Indicative budget: € 10 million

Expected outcome: This action will establish a strategic European initiative to develop scalable, modular, and interoperable photonic quantum computing platforms. Proposals for 
this topic are expected to address and provide credible solutions to at least two major technical roadblocks currently limiting the advancement of photonic quantum computing 
such as:

•  The lack of deterministic, high-efficiency photonic entanglement and loss-tolerant architectures suitable for fault-tolerant scaling
• The absence of a standardised, integrated control stack combining photonic hardware, firmware, and system software with reliable benchmarking across platforms 

 Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

•  By 2028, demonstration of a photonic NISQ processor with ≥100 photonic qubits, integrating deterministic single-photon sources, low-loss waveguides, on-chip detectors, 
  and a firmware stack (scheduler, controller, compiler), validated via hardware-agnostic benchmarks and hybrid photonic-HPC applications demonstrating classical-quantum 
  crossover
•  By 2030, delivery of a full-stack, high-connectivity photonic quantum computer, with modular scalability, integrated on-chip and fibre-based interconnects, and high-fidelity 
  gates (e.g. error rates ≤10⁻³) with an indicative target of 1 000 photonic qubits, laying the groundwork for prototype demonstrations of quantum utility on industrially relevant 
  workloads
•  System-level interoperability and standardisation, with published interface specifications across photonic quantum hardware and software stacks including packaging, APIs, 
  compiler interfaces, and cloud protocols compatible with telecom wavelengths
• Validation of entanglement distribution across modules through standardised protocols and field-demonstration of interconnected photonic quantum processors
• Acceleration of industrialisation and commercialisation, including a roadmap for pilot manufacturing lines, quality assurance protocols, and development of a sovereign 
  European supply chain for photonic quantum technologies
• Demonstration of project results through a concrete use case provided by a major end_user partner within the consortium, validating the platform’s relevance and performance 
  under real operational constraints.  

Scope: Proposals for this topic are expected to be led by a startup with demonstrated expertise in photonic quantum computing. The startup should collaborate with relevant 
academic, industrial, and RTO partners to ensure both technological depth and market orientation. The consortium should also include at least one major end-user whose 
operational needs will shape the platform design, and whose infrastructure will host the field demonstration of the project’s results. 

Proposals should implement a coordinated, durable R&I programme that integrates hardware, software, system architecture, and application-level use cases. Activities should include:

• Platform development advancing open, scalable photonic quantum processors with semiconductor and/or glass-based photonic chips, integrated control electronics, 
  firmware, and robust error mitigation and correction schemes
• System integration realising modular quantum nodes with photonic interconnects and validating scalable architectures under realistic noise, loss, and control constraints
• Software stack co-design integrating low-level firmware, compilers, hybrid algorithms, and network APIs to demonstrate application-level quantum advantage and HPC 
  interoperability
  

Proposals are expected to build upon prior Quantum Flagship results and demonstrate capacity to contribute actively to the governance and strategic coordination of the EU quantum computing 
ecosystem, including synergies with STEP, Chips JU, IPCEI projects and EuroHPC.

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-14: Networking and Future Photonics Strategy (CSA) 

Opening date: 15 January 2026

Deadline: 15 April 2026

Indicative budget: € 3 million

Expected outcome:

• Continued coordination and strategic support to the broader European photonics ecosystem, fostering a transparent, inclusive governance model and bottom-up roadmap 
  development.
• Strengthened engagement across the photonics ecosystem, including industry, academia, national platforms and end-user sectors.
• Improved alignment of regional, national and European R&I agendas, enhancing coherence and impact across funding instruments.
• Effective monitoring and steering of Partnership-funded projects towards the achievement of Key Performance Indicators.
• Increased visibility of photonics as a critical enabling technology for EU priorities such as the digital and green transitions, industrial competitiveness and technological 
  sovereignty.
• Enhanced collaboration with other European Partnerships and strategic initiatives to maximise synergies and streamline efforts.
• Improved access to private and blended finance for photonics innovation, growth and scale-up. 

Scope:

• Development and regular updating of the European Photonics Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) and associated roadmaps
• Coordination and monitoring of Partnership-funded R&I and CSA projects, including tracking of Key Performance Indicators and recommending corrective actions where 
  needed
• Outreach, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement, including alignment with national, regional, and European photonics strategies and input into broader EU policy initiatives
• Provision of a unified communication platform for the European photonics community and strengthened public communication on the impact of photonics
• Facilitation of collaboration with other European Partnerships, strategic initiatives, and financial institutions to identify synergies and improve access to innovation financing. 

HORIZON-CL4-2027-05-DIGITAL-EMERGING-03: Advanced integrated photonic devices for extended features and ultra-low power consumption (RIA)

Opening date: 17 November 2026

Deadline: 18 March 2027

Indivcative budget: € 25 million 

Expected outcome: 

• Advanced integrated photonic devices and circuits with enhanced functionality and performance enabling wider application across multiple sectors including digital, 
  automotive, industrial, health and security
• Reinforced competitiveness of EU photonics actors by demonstrating advancements in representative system configurations and validating real-world applicability
• Significantly improved performance of electro-optic systems in applications such as communication, computing, sensing, medical diagnostics, data processing, AI supporting 
  the introduction of photonic elements into such systems
• Low power consumption sensors with increased performance in application domains 

Scope: R&I should enhance the functionality, efficiency, and integration of photonic devices and circuits with a focus extended system performance. Action should address at least two of 
the following aspects. 

• Enhanced performance through improved spectral purity, wavelength coverage, output power and noise characteristics.
• Increased modulation or detection speeds going beyond the capability of existing PIC material platforms, improved signal-processing capabilities, and integration of novel 
  materials such as thin-film LiNbO3, BTO, graphene, silicon carbide, phase change materials and TMDCs.
• Miniaturised, high-complexity photonic circuits (e.g. multilayer photonics, chiplets, multiple integrated functional elements), scalable interconnects and electronics_photonics integration (co-packaged, heterogeneous, or monolithic) to improve performance, reliability, and cost-efficiency.
•  Reduction of power consumption for example through improved electrical-to-optical conversion, lower optical losses, devices operable at higher temperatures to reduce 
  cooling needs, and low-power circuit actuation and control.

Proposals should consider system-level impact and demonstrate advancements in representative configurations relevant to one or more application domains.  

For any further details you can download the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027.

You can find all open Horizon Europe and EDF calls on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.