Quantum Space Gravimetry topic

Forthcoming

This is the status published by the official source.

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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.
Space gravimetry data provided up to now (or planned in the near future) is using an underlying technology based on electrostatic accelerometers, which has reached its limits in terms of performance. Accelerometers based on quantum technology may offer enhanced performances in terms of sensitivity, accuracy, stability and operational time compared to these classical accelerometers.
The European Commission is committed to the development of quantum technologies and for this purpose, adopted the Quantum Europe Strategy in July 2025 (Quantum Europe Strategy | Shaping Europe’s digital future). This strategy identifies Space as a critical element and highlights the benefits of quantum sensing, including for fundamental science. The strategy provides the case for a network of mobile and stationary quantum sensors and foresees the deployment of ground, airborne and space-based gravimeters for Earth observation purposes. The strategy highlights the need for and importance of developing a space compatible technology to fulfil this ambition.
Quantum technologies are also identified as a critical R&I area in the EU Economic Security Strategy (eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52023JC0020). Mastering this technology will contribute to the EU technological sovereignty and foster the development of an EU non-dependent quantum & space ecosystem, able to address the EU’s ambitions for its space policy.
To meet these strategic objectives and envisage a full-blown quantum space gravimetry capacity, the development and in-orbit testing of a quantum accelerometer is a pre-requisite. The European Commission has been supporting the development of quantum accelerometer technology for ground and space gravimetry with dedicated calls in Horizon Europe.
This call will support the implementation, development and maturation of quantum accelerometer technologies for space gravimetry. Proposals should present a technological solution provided it is quantum-based, aims at enhancing the performance of gravimetry mission(s) currently planned (based on electrostatic accelerometers), and the resulting projects are expected to be consistent with a common overarching roadmap and recommendations to be established in close coordination with EU Member States, Norway and Iceland through a dedicated Quantum Space Gravimetry Expert Group (QSGEG). The action should foster the development of the underlying technology and result in a breadboard / payload prototype subsystems / engineering models demonstrating the feasibility and expected performance of the technological solution and its potential further development for integration on a satellite platform, the design of which should also be presented. Proposals should also provide a clear implementation strategy allowing the chosen solution to be tested in-orbit in a demonstrator in the future, the associated development lifecycle of which is free of choice (ECSS or other).
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.
Where applicable, proposers are invited to explore synergies with or build-upon past actions related to quantum technology and/or space gravimetry either at national or EU level.
In this topic, the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content should be addressed only if relevant in relation to the objectives of the research effort.
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Activities are expected to achieve TRL 4-6 by the end of the project. The reference TRL definition is the ISO 16290:2013 applicable to the space sector.

Status

Forthcoming

Deadline

2 September 2027 (time not stated)

Opens

9 March 2027

Published

17 February 2026

Total budget

€29,200,000

Grant range

€14,000,000 – €15,000,000

Country

European Union (EU-wide)

Programme

Horizon Europe (HORIZON)

Funder

European Commission

Official page

Open at the source portal

What applying involves

14 steps, all of them taken from this call's own documents.

Understand the call

• Read the call on the source portal and download its documents
• Write the proposal against the award criteria and thresholds

  Eligible proposals submitted under this topic and exceeding all the evaluation thresholds will be awarded a STEP Seal . To ensure a balanced portfolio covering all the development areas described in the scope section, 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 development area, provided that the applications attain all thresholds. are described in Annex D of the Work Programme … — conditions §5a

• Check the grant's legal and financial set-up standard for this programme

  described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions described in the specific topic of the Work Programme. Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA): Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System Standard application form (HE RIA, IA) Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA) Guidance HE … — conditions §6

• Note the opening date — a proposal cannot be submitted before it
• Check the amount you plan to request against the call's range

Check you are eligible

• Check your country of establishment is eligible

  The source scopes this to EU Member States. — ai_results.eligibility

• Confirm your technology readiness level against the range the call states
• Check every partner is established in an eligible country standard for this programme

  described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide — conditions §2

• Meet the call's other eligibility conditions

  If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS (other data and services may additionally be used). In order to achieve the expected outcomes, and safeguard the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security, participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Norway and Iceland. Proposals including entities … — conditions §3

• Be able to show financial and operational capacity standard for this programme

  described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes — conditions §4

Prepare the documents

• Prepare Part B of the Application Form standard for this programme

  Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. — conditions

• Prepare the declaration of ownership and control standard for this programme

Submit

• Check the submission and evaluation process standard for this programme

  are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual — conditions §5b

• Submit before the closing date shown above

  The source states the closing day but no closing time — check the portal before the last day. — calls.deadline

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