Two Dutch tech companies, QuantaMap and MicroAlign, have received a prestigious grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC). They will each receive €2.5 million in funding from the EIC Accelerator, supplemented by an equity investment. These awards underscore the importance of targeted investments in the industrial base needed to scale quantum technology.
The EIC Accelerator supports promising startups and scale-ups with breakthrough technologies that contribute to Europe's strategic autonomy and competitiveness. The grant is designed to accelerate innovations towards market introduction and scale-up. With its combined grant and equity financing, the instrument helps companies industrialize their technology, build production capacity, and achieve international growth.
Acceleration of commercialization and industrialization of innovations
QuantaMap is using the EIC funding to accelerate the commercialization of its SQUID-AFM instrument. This system supports quantum R&D and serves as an inline quality control platform for quantum chip production. By improving chip performance, production consistency, and yield, QuantaMap enables the transition from laboratory research to scalable quantum hardware. QuantaMap previously received funding from Holland High Tech through the SME Hightech Call 2024, which significantly boosted the company's technological development and market validation.
MicroAlign is receiving funding for the industrialization of its ultra-high-precision fiber array technology for photonic quantum computers. The active alignment system enables nanometer-precise fiber-to-chip connections—a crucial requirement for large-scale production of photonic quantum systems.