Delft, THE NETHERLANDS— The Quantum Internet Alliance (QIA) has received €47.5 million in new funding from the European Commission to advance its work on a full-stack quantum internet prototype and prepare it for real-world deployment.

The Specific Grant Agreement (SGA 2) will support the next 42 months of research and development, building on the consortium’s achievements during the first phase (SGA1) which ran from October 2022 to March 2026.

In SGA1, QIA expanded its European platform for quantum internet development, integrating hardware, software and networking research while laying the technological foundations for a prototype quantum network.

Over the next 3.5 years, QIA will focus on combining these technologies into a complete, programmable quantum network prototype capable of running quantum network applications. A key milestone is demonstrating how two metropolitan-scale quantum networks can be interconnected via a long-distance fibre link using quantum repeaters, a critical step toward large-scale quantum communication.

“Over the past years, we have developed the core building blocks of a quantum internet. Our mission in this next phase is to integrate these components into a full stack quantum internet prototype. Europe is at the very forefront of quantum internet technologies world-wide, and this prototype may become the first of its kind in the world,” said QIA Director Stephanie Wehner.

The programme will also take first steps towards Quantum Internet Initiative by transitioning quantum networking technologies from laboratory experiments to real-world applications, including initial preparations for quantum internet pilot facilities and open-access infrastructure for researchers, developers and companies. QIA is already delivering impact beyond the lab. Technologies developed within the programme have moved to products, and new startups are emerging from the QIA ecosystem, ready to translate QIA’s breakthroughs now into practical products and services.

QIA’s full stack effort also includes work on advancing use cases of quantum network technologies, and provides a platform for all Quantum Internet efforts across Europe to connect and join forces.

“Right now, Europe is still at the forefront of quantum internet efforts worldwide,” Wehner added. “With this second phase, we are creating technology that does not yet exist anywhere on earth. But to remain ahead, it is critically important that in addition to the second phase of this R&D project, QIA’s startups can now move to the realisation of proof-of-concept use cases, we empower the ecosystem by making open access facilities available, and we further strengthen Europe’s technological capabilities and create the conditions for a vibrant quantum ecosystem that can compete globally,” she concluded.