The European Defence Fund (EDF) is the Commission’s initiative to support collaborative defence research and development, and to foster an innovative and competitive defence industrial base.
Quantum technologies count amongst the main emerging and disruptive technologies for defence capabilities. Within these quantum technologies, Quantum Sensing (QS) is one of the most mature domains and has the potential to notably impact defence operations. Nevertheless, significant technical challenges remain before operational systems can be developed. Further research is therefore needed in a range of QS domains such as quantum sensors for Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT), optronics and RF sensing. Besides, with the possible emergence of quantum computers, current technologies for secure communications face a risk of becoming compromised and need to be upgraded. There is therefore a need for research on technologies future-proof communication technologies such as quantum communication or quantum-resistant cryptography.
The proposals must address at least one of the following technological domains:
Quantum sensing technologies for PNT
The proposals should address quantum sensing technologies with the potential to improve PNT capabilities, such as high performances atomic clocks, quantum inertial sensors and gravimeters, and solid-state quantum vector magnetometers. Specific enabling technologies for improving size, weight and power (SWaP), to increase efficiency and/or ruggedness while lowering the overall footprint, should be addressed.
Quantum technologies for optronics and RF sensing
The proposals should address quantum technologies with a potential to improve imaging and optronic sensors by exploiting quantum properties such as superposition, tunnelling and entanglement. In particular, technologies exploiting single photon detection and its processing for seeing behind obstacles in non-line-of-sight configuration and/or in degraded visual environment, such as smoke and dust fog, should be addressed.
The proposals should also address quantum technologies with a potential to improve RF sensing and electronic warfare, such as ensembles of atoms in Rydberg state or superconducting quantum devices exploiting interference effects as well as colour centres in crystals or other quantum approaches.
Quantum technologies and/or quantum-resistant cryptography for secure communications
The proposals should address technologies with a potential to improve secure communications (including for multi-domain operations), such as quantum information networks, quantum cryptography and quantum random number generators, and/or quantum-resistant cryptography (post-quantum cryptography, PQC).
The proposals must identify defence use cases and justify the relevance of the technologies proposed to be addressed with respect to these use cases, taking into account the wider landscape of potential solutions for these use cases and the deployment costs.
In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
Consortium composition – Proposals must be submitted by:
minimum 2 independent applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 2 different eligible countries.
Ministry of Defense
Address: 172-174 Strovolos Avenue, 2048 Strovolos, Nicosia
Telephone: 22 807500
Email: defence@mod.gov.cy
Website: https://mod.gov.cy/
Department of Research and Innovation
Telephones: 22 807755, 22 807754
Email: research.innovation@mod.gov.cy
For help related to this call, please contact: DEFIS-EDF-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu