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In early March 2026, the Photonics & Quantum Impact (PQI) Cluster was launched, bringing together 11 EU-funded projects dedicated to advancing next-generation photonics and quantum technologies.
By leveraging complementary capabilities across research, industry, and innovation ecosystems, the cluster maximises the dissemination and cross-fertilisation of results. Through coordinated action and structured knowledge exchange, it amplifies impact beyond individual projects.
Together, we strengthen Europe’s technological leadership in next-generation photonics and quantum solutions.
The 11 projects involved in the cluster, by alphabetical order, are:
AQuRA, the Advanced Quantum Clock for Real World Applications, is a European consortium of five industry leaders, two national measurement institutes and three universities. The AQuRA clock will be the first industry led clock prototype aiming for instability and uncertainty at around a second over the age of the universe.
CLUSTEC is a groundbreaking EU Horizon Europe initiative to unlock the potential of optical cluster states for scalable quantum technologies. While quantum computing is evolving rapidly, scalability remains a key hurdle. CLUSTEC is adressing the key challenges.
DYNAMOS develops fast (1 ns) and widely tunable (>110 nm) lasers, energy-efficient (~ fJ/bit), broadband (100 GHz) electro-optic modulators, and high-speed (1 ns) broadcast-and-select packet switches as photonic integrated circuits (PICs).
EPIQUE is a research project whose goal is to build a European quantum computer based on scalable photonic technology that will be made available to the European industry and academia to tap into the potential markets and applications of quantum computing. In EPIQUE, academic laboratories and deep-tech start-ups work in synergy to assemble photonic platforms for quantum computing based on photonic cluster states and measurement induced operations.
INPHOMIR aims to develop complex photonic integrated control-units and devices enabling innovative EU technologies in the domains of inertial navigation and mid-infrared remote sensing.
LaiQa comes as a technology intensive research and innovation action aiming to develop and advance critical components and technologies necessary to build a global spaced-based quantum network. LaiQa envisions to realise unconditionally secure quantum communications over long distances bringing functional QKD components together with advanced system integration techniques towards deployable space-QKD systems.
POLYNICES is a research and innovation action that aims to provide a general-purpose photonic integration platform with all the cost, performance, scalability and manufacturability credentials for the next generation photonic modules. POLYNICES develops a disruptive set of integration and packaging technologies that will allow low-cost photonic systems in packages for a range of applications including wide band THz spectroscopy and quantum information processing.
QLASS brings together experts from top research groups, up-and-coming SMEs, and industry to achieve the ambitious goal of producing a quantum photonic integrated circuit (QPIC) utilising the extremely versatile technique of femtosecond laser writing (FLW) to fabricate 3D waveguides within glass developed for optimum photonic performance to support an unprecedented 200 reconfigurable optical modes.
QPIC1550 stands at the forefront of a technological revolution, driving advancements in Quantum Photonic Integrated Circuits (QPICs) at the pivotal 1550 nm wavelength.
QUANTIFY’s overall objective consists in bringing photonic quantum enhanced sensors to the next level of integration and usability. Specifically, the project wants to develop the essential building blocks and novel quantum enhanced techniques for future chip scale optical clocks, optically pumped magnetometers and optomechanical temperature sensors.
QU-PIC‘s main objective is to develop a toolkit of photonic integrated circuit (PIC) quantum building blocks to accelerate the development of complex quantum systems, from idea to packaged systems. Many of the technologies required in the supply chain will be developed to ensure their availability in Europe, which is key to establishing European sovereignty in the emerging quantum field.