European Commission makes €112 million investment in AI, quantum research under Horizon Europe program

The European Commission initiated calls for proposals within Horizon Europe’s 2023-2024 digital, industrial, and space work program, focusing on research and innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technologies. With an investment of €112 million in AI, and quantum research and innovation, a new series of calls has been introduced, totaling over €112 million from the 2023-2024 Horizon Europe Digital, Industry, and Space work program.

Horizon Europe is an EU research and innovation framework program for 2021-2027 with a budget of €95.5 billion. Its goals are to strengthen the EU’s scientific and technological bases and the European Research Area (ERA); boost Europe’s innovation capacity, competitiveness, and jobs; and deliver on citizen’s priorities and sustain our socio-economic model and values with a particular focus on creating impact or the European Green Deal, the digital and sustainability transition and recovery from the coronavirus-crisis.

The Commission is set to invest more than €65 million in AI initiatives. The funding includes a significant allocation of €50 million towards enhancing large AI models, which aims to integrate new data modalities and broaden the capabilities of these models. This call targets the development of generative AI capable of processing and generating multimodal data, including but not limited to text, images, audio, video, and 3D representations, while adapting to a wide range of tasks and domains. With this funding, Europe aims to lead in creating AI systems that are not only powerful but also adhere to European values and ethical guidelines, particularly given the AI Act.

To address the need for transparency and robustness in AI €15 million will be invested in projects that will enhance the intelligibility and reliability of AI systems. The EU recognizes the importance of AI systems that are not only intelligent but also understandable and safe for users, thus supporting the EU’s approach to human-centric AI.

As part of the Horizon Europe program, the agency further detailed that €40 million will be invested to boost research into quantum technologies. €25 million of this investment will be devoted to developing a network of quantum gravimeters throughout Europe. This will not only enhance precision in Earth observation and civil engineering. It will also show how quantum technologies can represent a significant improvement in current technological capabilities.

The network will consist of at least eight gravimeters (gravity sensors), demonstrating how quantum gravimetry can offer much greater precision than its classical equivalent and serve as the basis for a future pan-European digital quantum sensing infrastructure.

In addition, there will be €15 million of investment focusing on stimulating transnational research and development in next-generation quantum technologies. These transnational research projects are expected to foster synergies among European stakeholders, ensuring that the EU remains at the forefront of the global quantum technology race, and cementing its position as a hub of innovation and technological self-reliance.

A further €6 million investment aims to strengthen Europe’s engagement in global ICT standardization. By supporting the participation of European experts in international standard-setting bodies, the EU seeks to promote its interests and values in developing global technical specifications and standards.

The remaining €1.5 million will see investment to explore Digital Humanism, a project that places people at the center of the digital transformation. This approach emphasizes the need for cross-disciplinary collaboration to ensure that the digital realm upholds European standards of law, social economy, and fundamental rights.

Earlier this month, the Commission published a Recommendation encouraging Member States on a Coordinated Implementation Roadmap for the transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography. The move works towards developing and implementing a harmonized approach as the EU transitions to post-quantum cryptography. The Commission Recommendation urges Member States to formulate a robust strategy for integrating Post-Quantum Cryptography, aiming to facilitate a harmonized and unified transition across the various Member States and their public sectors.

Anna Ribeiro

Industrial Cyber News Editor. Anna Ribeiro is a freelance journalist with over 14 years of experience in the areas of security, data storage, virtualization and IoT.