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Horizon Europe · European Union

Quantum Space Gravimetry topic

Opens 9 Mar 2027

The EU's Horizon Europe programme expects to make 2 awards of €14 million – €15 million each, from a total budget of €29.2 million. Applications close on 2 Sep 2027 (EU calls usually close at 17:00 Brussels time). Organisations in EU member states and Horizon Europe associated countries such as Türkiye can usually take part; the topic conditions control.

Expected outcome

Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

• Support the EU space policy by fostering the development of groundbreaking space technology and support the Quantum Europe Strategy.

• Enhance the technological maturation of the critical components necessary to perform quantum space gravimetry.

• Foster the technological leadership and non-dependence of the EU in the field of quantum gravimetry from space and promote the EU’s competitiveness in quantum technologies.

This action aims at supporting the maturation, development and/or implementation of quantum gravimetry technology for space.

Monitoring the Earth gravity field provides key information and data on Earth mass movements. This type of data is of utmost importance for Earth science and used in many areas, for example to monitor ice sheet changes, floods or droughts, volcanic activities and earthquakes. The community of users for such data spans from climate scientists to geophysicists and relies on quality and precise data. Monitoring the Earth gravity field from space provides a global scale to the user community and fosters the development of models and understanding of the Earth as an integrated and global system.

Scope

The areas of R&I, which needs to be addressed to tackle the above-mentioned expected outcomes are:

• Area 1: R&I on the technology based on cold atom interferometry with Bose Einstein Condensates (BECs) for Quantum Space Gravimetry. Proposals should aim at the maturation of all relevant technology to TRL 6 and deliver engineering and qualification models of the payload subsystems to demonstrate the technology in orbit.

• Area 2: R&I on emerging technology for Quantum Space Gravimetry such as SQUIDs (Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices) or nuclear spin-based gravimeters or hybridized technology (list not exhaustive). Proposals should aim at the development of the relevant technology to TRL 4-5 and deliver breadboards or prototypes of a payload aiming at demonstrating the technology in orbit.

Proposals should contribute to one of the above R&I areas and this area should be clearly and unambiguously identified. To ensure a balanced portfolio covering the two areas described above, grants will be awarded to applications not only in order of ranking but at least also to one proposal that is the highest ranked within each area, provided that the applications attain all thresholds. Intellectual Property (IP) rights and ownership must be clearly defined and the provisions in Article 16 of the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement shall apply (relevant to protection, exploitation, transfer and licensing, access rights to results and background). The beneficiaries of the grant should also reflect on the availability of the IPs for potential next steps of the activity.

Who can apply

Consortium of at least 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or associated countries, at least one in a Member State (Horizon Europe standard rule). Country restriction: participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Norway and Iceland.

Applicant categories are a starting point. The official call decides eligibility.

Topics

STEP-Digital/deep tech

Timing

Single-stage call. Next deadline 2027-09-02. The portal states the exact cut-off time (EU calls usually close at 17:00 Brussels time).

How to apply

1. Read the full topic on the Funding & Tenders Portal: expected outcome, scope, type of action and the topic conditions, including any country restrictions.
2. Register each participating organisation in the Funding & Tenders Portal to get a PIC.
3. Consortium of at least 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or associated countries (Horizon Europe standard rule; Türkiye is associated). Confirm in the topic conditions.
4. Prepare Part A (administrative forms and budget, completed in the portal) and Part B (the technical description on the official template for this type of action).
5. Submit in the portal before the cut-off time on the deadline day. Late submissions are not accepted.

From the call text

Who can apply

Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page

Company stage

Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page

Single applicant or consortium

Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route.

Where applicants must be based

Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route.

Where to apply

Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route.

Read the EU application guide

Official sources

Official call page

Facts on this page come from the official source and were last checked 14 Nov 2026. The funder's own documents, including later amendments, always take precedence.

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