HORIZON-JU-CHIPS-2026-FT2-IA

IA Resilience call reinforcing Europe's strength in photonics

Status
open for submission
Programme
Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
Action type
HORIZON JU Innovation Actions
Opens
7 Jul 2026
Deadline
16 Sep 2026
Fetched
15 Jul 2026, 07:18 UTC
Plain-language summary

Innovation Action to scale photonic processes and integration for strategic sectors like AI, sensing, and telecom.

This call funds projects to improve photonic chip manufacturing and integration. It focuses on scalable processes, packaging, and system demonstrations. Applications should show clear market relevance in sectors such as AI, health, and defence.

Likely relevant for

  • Photonics manufacturers
  • Semiconductor companies
  • Research institutes in photonics
  • Technology developers in AI and sensing
  • Telecommunication system integrators

Project signals

Focus on scalable photonic manufacturingDevelopment of automated packaging solutionsIntegration of lasers, modulators, detectors on chipUse of PDKs and validated photonic building blocksDemonstration in strategic sectors with market metrics

What it funds

  • Scaling wafer-level photonic processes for key materials (SiN, InP, GaAs)
  • Development of scalable, automated packaging and test solutions
  • Integration of heterogeneous photonic components on chip
  • Design-process-equipment co-optimization for cost-effective production
  • Demonstration of system-level functionality in strategic sectors

Expected outcomes

  • Optimized high-volume manufacturability of photonic circuits
  • Advanced packaging compatible with co-packaged optics
  • Integrated photonic components like lasers and detectors
  • Repeatable production using PDKs and validated blocks
  • Validated use cases with quantified performance and market relevance

Who can apply / participate

  • Research organizations
  • Industry players including SMEs and large companies
  • Consortia of multiple entities
  • Check specific consortium composition rules in call documents
  • Eligible countries as per Chips JU guidelines
  • Refer to Chips JU website for detailed eligibility conditions
  • Exact consortium size limits
  • Specific country eligibility list

Must check before shortlisting

  • Eligibility criteria for countries and entities
  • Consortium composition and size requirements
  • Budget limits and funding rates
  • Specific call documents and templates

Money

Total budget of €20 million for 2026 with expected grants between €1 million and €10 million each.

  • Total budget 2026 — 20000000EUR
    Allocated for this call in 2026
  • Minimum grant per project — 1000000EUR
    Minimum funding per selected project
  • Maximum grant per project — 10000000EUR
    Maximum funding per selected project

Application notes

  • Single-stage submission model.
  • Proposal page limits and layout detailed in Part B of the Application Form
  • Eligibility and admissibility conditions as per Chips JU Workprogramme Appendix 7
  • Evaluation criteria and award procedures described in call documents
  • Legal and financial set-up governed by Annotated Model Grant Agreement
  • Download and review all call documents from Chips JU website
  • Prepare proposal according to guidelines and templates
  • Submit proposal via Funding & Tenders Portal before deadline
  • Contact Calls@chips-ju.europa.eu for support
  • Ensure compliance with eligibility and admissibility conditions
  • Follow page limits and formatting strictly
  • Check national budget tables if applicable
  • Review evaluation criteria carefully

Derived from official EU Funding portal source · updated 7 Jul 2026, 12:21 UTC. Use this as a shortlisting aid; the official call text remains authoritative.

Official source text

Fine print from the EU source record. Expand when you need the original wording.

Topic description

Expected Outcome: Proposals submitted to this call are expected to address several of the following elements: • Scaling of wafer-level photonic processes for key materials (e.g. SiN, InP, GaAs),including process integration, yield optimisation, and manufacturability at highvolumes. • Development of packaging and test solutions that are scalable, automated, andcompatible with co-packaged optics and advanced photonic-electronic integration. • Integration of heterogeneous materials and components, such as on-chip lasers,modulators, and detectors, using advanced packaging and assembly approaches. • Design-process-equipment co-optimisation, enabling repeatable, cost-effectiveproduction of complex photonic circuits and systems, including use of PDKs andvalidated building blocks. • Demonstration of system-level functionality through application-relevant use casesin strategic sectors (e.g. AI, sensing, telecommunication, mobility, health, defence),with quantified performance metrics and clear market relevance.

Conditions and documents

General conditions

1. Admissibility conditions: Proposal page limit and layout

Proposal page limits and layout: detailed in Part B of the Application Form, which you can access from the Call documents section on the Chips JU website's Call page



The following information are all described in the Appendix 7 of the Chips JU Workprogramme

2. Eligible countries

3. Other Eligibility Conditions

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion

5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds

5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes

5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants

Specific conditions

Support information

For help related to this call, please contact Calls@chips-ju.europa.eu Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant. Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe. Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – find the answers to most frequently asked questions on submission of proposals, evaluation and grant management. Research Enquiry Service – ask questions about any aspect of European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular. National Contact Points (NCPs) – get guidance, practical information and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe. There are also NCPs in many non-EU and non-associated countries (‘third-countries’). Enterprise Europe Network – contact your EEN national contact for advice to businesses with special focus on SMEs. The support includes guidance on the EU research funding. IT Helpdesk – contact the Funding & Tenders Portal IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc. European IPR Helpdesk assists you on intellectual property issues. CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk – the European Standards Organisations advise you how to tackle standardisation in your project proposal. The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment – consult the general principles and requirements specifying the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers, employers and funders of researchers. Partner Search help you find a partner organisation for your proposal.

Raw budget overview
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