EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities of the "Funding to Attend DigiQ Networking Events" Call (Call ID: DigiQ)

1. Immediate Access to the EU Single Market (450 + million consumers)

• Pan-European visibility for quantum solutions: Participation in DigiQ events exposes beneficiaries to buyers, research labs and corporates across 27 Member States, dramatically lowering customer-acquisition costs and shortening go-to-market cycles.

• Freedom to provide services & talent mobility: The Services Directive and mutual recognition of professional qualifications enable attendees to commercialise new quantum-enabled products or consultancy services EU-wide without duplicative national procedures.

• Early feedback from diverse end-users (manufacturing, healthcare, finance, defence) helps build universally deployable quantum applications, ready for standardisation and public procurement under the revised EU Public Procurement Directive.

2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange

• Curated matchmaking with universities, deep-tech start-ups, corporates and national quantum hubs from multiple Member States accelerates formation of consortia for future Horizon Europe, EuroHPC or Chips Act calls.

• Pan-EU mentorship pools allow SMEs or researchers from cohesion regions (e.g. Baltic, Balkan) to pair with leading labs in DE, FR, NL, thereby balancing Europe’s innovation divide.

• Joint IP strategies: The networking agenda includes sessions on cross-border IP co-management, facilitating patent-pool creation and exploitation under the Unitary Patent system.

3. Alignment with Key EU Policies

• Digital Europe Programme: DigiQ operationalises DIGITAL-2021-SKILLS-01 by upskilling 250 + quantum specialists/year.

• EU Chips Act & Quantum Flagship: Strengthens Europe’s strategic autonomy in advanced computing and secure communications.

• Green Deal & Fit-for-55: Quantum optimisation algorithms showcased at events target 10–20 % energy savings in logistics & power grids.

• Open Strategic Autonomy: Networking events foster supply-chain resilience by connecting photonics, cryogenics and semiconductor actors inside the EU.

4. Benefits of Regulatory Harmonisation

• GDPR by design: Pan-EU sessions on quantum-safe cryptography ensure solutions comply with EU data-protection rules, easing cross-border deployment.

• REACH & RoHS clarity for quantum hardware materials via EU-level guidance avoids 27 separate compliance checks.

• Standardisation pathways: Alignment with CEN-CENELEC & ETSI quantum standardisation working groups fast-tracks CE-marking and market entry.

5. Embedded in the EU Innovation Ecosystem

• Direct access to 3 000 + EU research infrastructures (e.g. EuroQCS, PRACE, European Quantum Communication Infrastructure) via on-site brokerage tables.

• Gateway to EIT Digital, EIT Manufacturing & EIT RawMaterials acceleration services, offering follow-on investment and test-beds.

• Talent pipeline: Integration with Erasmus Mundus Quantum Masters facilitates internship and recruitment matching across borders.

6. Funding Synergies

• Horizon Europe (Clusters 4 & 5): Consortia formed at DigiQ enjoy higher success rates (historically +18 %) due to pre-validated partnerships.

• EIC Pathfinder/Transition: Early-stage quantum concepts pitched at events receive coaching for €2.5–4 M grants & blended finance.

• EuroHPC JU: Joint workshops explain how to access pre-exascale systems for algorithm testing, complementing DigiQ travel funding.

• Cohesion Funds & Recovery & Resilience Facility (RRF): Regions may co-finance travel or follow-up pilots, multiplying DigiQ’s impact.

7. Scale & Impact Potential

• EU-wide deployment readiness: Harmonised curricula and shared test-beds mean pilots in one Member State can be replicated in others with minimal adaptation.

• Market creation: By 2030, EU quantum market size is projected at €65 B. DigiQ attendees can capture first-mover advantage in cross-border procurement frameworks (e.g. Big Science procurements, NATO DIANA calls).

• Policy influence: Participants can feed real-time insights into the Quantum Technology Coordination & Support Action, shaping future EU roadmaps.

8. Strategic Take-Aways for Applicants

1. Leverage Single Market scale: Design demos and business models for multi-country deployment from day one.

2. Forge diversified consortia: Combine excellence (FR/DE/NL) with cohesion-country partners to boost competitiveness and evaluation scores in subsequent EU calls.

3. Exploit funding stacking: Use DigiQ travel support as gateway, then layer Horizon Europe, EIC or regional funds for R&D and commercial roll-out.

4. Prepare for standards leadership: Engage with ETSI & CENELEC working groups during events to shape emerging quantum standards and secure early compliance.

5. Maximise policy alignment: Highlight contributions to Digital Decade targets (20 M ICT specialists, 75 % of EU firms using cloud/AI/big data) for stronger EU-level value proposition.

Attending DigiQ Networking Events therefore offers a uniquely European springboard—combining market access, regulatory certainty, policy alignment and funding leverage—to accelerate quantum technologies from lab to EU-wide market adoption.