IA Resilience call reinforcing Europe's strength in photonics
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
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 — 20000000EURAllocated for this call in 2026
- Minimum grant per project — 1000000EURMinimum funding per selected project
- Maximum grant per project — 10000000EURMaximum 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
Please visit the Chips JU website's Call page
Please refer to the calls documents section on the Chips JU website's Call page to view and download all required documents and templates.
Specific Call Documents
2026 Guide for Applicants RIA_IA_FT-FPP
Evaluation Form Chips IA RIA FT-FPP
Template Application form Part B IA-RIA-FT FPP
Ownership Control Declaration form template
National Budgets Table template (xls)
General Call Documents
Chips JU Multiannual Work Programme
Appendix 7 to the Work Programme - Electronic Components and Systems (ECS) - 2026
PAB decision on the evaluation and selection procedures related to Calls for Proposals
ECS Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda
Annotated Model Grant Agreement for EU Funding Programmes 2021-2027
Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Call-specific instructions
Additional documents:
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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