For the SGA phase, it is expected that all types of entities (LE, SMEs, RTOs, Universities) benefit from a reimbursement rate of 50% of total costs (EU contribution).

No, there are no specific reporting obligations associated with the FPA itself, as it primarily serves to establish the framework partnership. The implementation details, such as milestones, work packages, and deliverables, are linked to the Specific Grant Agreement (SGA) that follows the FPA. Therefore, reporting obligations will be relevant at the SGA level, where the milestones outlined in the FPA are validated.

No, these documents are not required at this stage. Ownership Control Declarations may be requested at a later stage, such as during the SGA phase or preparation of FPA signature. However, if any partner is controlled by third countries, it is recommended to start inquiring with national contacts about these declarations.

There are no minimum EU co-financing contribution requirements, and a beneficiary can request a lower contribution rate than the maximum 50% of total costs funding. However, please note that requesting a lower contribution rate may raise issues related to state aid rules, particularly for commercial partners. In such cases, it is recommended to discuss with national authorities rather than the Chips JU office.

CAPEX costs can only be claimed by beneficiaries that host parts of the distributed Pilot Line for ion-trap chips and can justify the need for such investments to implement the pilot line. In other words, only beneficiaries that will host equipment or infrastructure essential to the project's objectives can claim CAPEX costs. CAPEX costs not related to the pilot line are not eligible for inclusion in the project.

The expectation to reach TRL 8 depends on the ambition and readiness of the consortium. It is not solely the responsibility of the pilot line hosting entity, but rather a collective effort that may involve industrial partners. The goal of the Framework Partnership Agreement is to transition from pilot production to industrial-scale manufacturing, ensuring the commercial viability of new quantum technologies. Consortia are encouraged to include planning with industrial partners or Research and Technology Organizations (RTOs) that can help achieve this goal, particularly for small volume production. In the application, please outline the expected efforts and expenditures for achieving TRL 8, considering the involvement of industrial partners or RTOs as needed.

TRL 8 is expected to be reached by the end of the second Specific Grant Agreement (SGA), which implements the action plan of the Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA). This means that the second SGA should aim to achieve TRL 8, regardless of whether it ends within or outside of the FPA's duration.

There is no specific guideline that dictates the duration of an FPA. While it is logical that an FPA would remain in effect for as long as the corresponding Specific Grant Agreements (SGAs) are active, there is no requirement for the FPA to last the full duration of all foreseen SGAs. The FPA duration can be flexible, but it is expected to align with the roadmap of the applicants. As a general reference, the preliminary SGA call text suggests that the first SGA would implement the first 2-3 years of the FPA.

In the Funding and Tenders portal: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/agr-contr/fpa_en.pdf

No, there are not any mandatory national requirements for the FPA phase. However, we encourage participants to already contact their national authorities, and if the consortium wishes to add any related information to the proposal, this may be included as an appendix to the PDF file of Part B of the application.

For both QAC-1 and QAC-2, at the FPA stage, consortia are not required to submit a consortium agreement. This will be a requirement at the SGA stage for the successful FPA consortia.

No, participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Norway and Israel, on the basis of Article 22(5) of the Regulation (EU) 2021/695.

In terms of country of origin of the hosting entity, the call is restricted to the EU Member States, Iceland, Norway and Israel. Industrial partners from that list of countries, and which are not controlled by (an entity from) a third-country, are eligible as hosting entity.

Pre-operational environments mean pilots where testing and validation is possible, but that are not yet available for full-scale production. However, this does not exclude that, if fully operational clean rooms do already exist, these are already incorporated into the pilot.