Today, the Quantum Technologies Flagship, a €1 billion initiative, was launched at a high-level event in Vienna hosted by the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU.The Flagship will initially fund 20 projects with a total of €132 million via the Horizon 2020 programme, and from 2021 onwards it is expected to fund a further 130 projects. Andrus Ansip, Commission Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, said: "Europe is determined to lead the development of quantum technologies worldwide. The Quantum Technologies Flagship project is part of our ambition to consolidate and expand Europe's scientificexcellence...
If we want to unlock the full potential of quantum technologies, we need to develop a solid industrial base making full use of our research." Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, added: “The Quantum Technologies Flagship will form a cornerstone of Europe's strategy to lead in the development of quantum technologies in the future. Quantum computing holds the promise of increasing computing speeds by orders of magnitude and Europe needs to pool its efforts in the ongoing race towards the first functional quantum computers.” Its total budget is expected to reach €1 billion, providing funding for the entire quantum value chain in Europe, from basic research to industrialisation, and bringing together researchers and the quantum technologies industry. A press release and a memo are available online. 