TechBridge: UK Call 2025 – Quantum Technologies

This TechBridge call is a joint initiative between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Objective

With this call, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs encourages Dutch companies, knowledge institutions, and research organisations to set up R&D collaborations with innovative partners in the United Kingdom. These R&D collaborations focus on the development, prototyping, and testing of quantum technology. Dutch knowledge institutions may participate as project partners unless at least one Dutch company is part of the Dutch consortium. UK project partners can receive funding if they meet the rules and conditions of their national funding organisation (UK Research and Innovation, UKRI). In the Netherlands, the funding body is the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).

All details of this call can be found in the call text: “Call for Proposals for Joint R&D Projects between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom: UK-Netherlands Co-Innovation & Testbeds Pilot for Quantum Technologies”.

Background

The key enabling technologies from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs’ National Technology Strategy (NTS) are the strategic building blocks for tomorrow’s economy. In addition to creating opportunities for the Netherlands’ economic growth, they also contribute to solutions for major societal challenges. International collaboration is essential to accelerate these technologies and achieve global impact.

TechBridge allows Dutch companies and research institutions to work with international partners on groundbreaking innovation projects. By joining forces with leading innovative economies such as the United Kingdom, new opportunities arise to strengthen key enabling technologies and bring market-oriented solutions to practice more quickly.

Read more about the National Technology Strategy.

International Requirements

• The consortium must include at least one company from the Netherlands and one company from the United Kingdom. If this condition is met, other organisations such as knowledge institutions can also participate as partners.
• The consortium must collaborate with at least one test facility provider in the UK and/or the Netherlands, with access to relevant quantum technology.
• The collaborative project must focus on researching or developing an innovative product, process, or service, with the aim of commercialising the results.
• Projects must target civil applications.
• The product, process, or service must be innovative, with a technological risk present for all participating partners.
• The project must deliver clear benefits and added value through technological collaboration. No single organisation or participating country may cover more than 70% of the total eligible project costs.
• The maximum project duration is 24 months.

National Requirements

• Participation of a Dutch company is mandatory for national funding.
• The lead applicant of the national consortium must be a Dutch company.
• Only research and development activities are funded; all other costs must be covered by the participants themselves.
• RVO only supports projects with a balanced distribution of costs across participating countries (no more than 70% in one country).

Budget

Each Dutch consortium may receive a maximum of €300,000 per project.

Subsidy percentages

National funding rates of total project costs:

• Research activities:
  • SMEs: 45%
  • Industry: 35%
  • Universities and knowledge institutions: 50%
• Development activities:
  • SMEs: 35%
  • Industry: 25%
  • Universities and knowledge institutions: 25%

Secure and resilient collaboration

International collaboration in knowledge-intensive technologies, products, and services may involve economic security risks. Economic security requires your attention. Investing now in awareness and resilience is important to protect your own and the Netherlands’ economic interests. If you plan to collaborate internationally, be aware of the risks and prepare carefully.

Read more about secure and resilient entrepreneurship (in Dutch), including the 'WeerbaarWijzer' and information from the Economic Security Entrepreneurs’ Desk (OLEV).

Online Information Session

On Monday 22 September (13:00 – 14:30 CEST), the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will host an online information session to explain the call. This session is intended for anyone interested in R&D collaboration in quantum technology.

Read more about the online session and how to register

Submitting a project proposal

To be eligible for funding, applications must be submitted to both RVO and UKRI. Ensure that the same project title is used when submitting national applications.

1. Application in the Netherlands

To qualify for Dutch funding, a national project proposal must be submitted to RVO. The national submission deadline is 28 October 2025, 17:00 CEST.

The national application includes:

The application form “International Innovation – TechBridge” (available in our application portal)

• Project plan
• Project budget
• Public summary
• For each company: Statement of no enterprise in difficulty (in Dutch)
• For each company: Decision tree for the above statement (in Dutch)
• A signed consortium agreement (this may also be submitted at a later stage)

Templates for the project plan, budget (in Dutch), and public summary can be downloaded below:

• Apply immediately

2. Application in the United Kingdom

To qualify for UK funding, your UK partner must submit a national application to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

All details of this call can be found in the call text: 

After Your Application

During the assessment of your project, RVO may ask questions regarding your project budget. A decision will be communicated within 13 weeks of submission.

Administration

If you wish to make changes during the project, discuss them first with an RVO advisor and submit them in writing as soon as possible. During the project, a progress report must be submitted once per year. An RVO advisor will also call once per year to review project progress.

At the end of the project, a request for final determination must be submitted. Information on how to request final determination is available in our subsidy rules. A final report must also be submitted. A reminder will be sent by email a few weeks before the project end date.

Read more about reporting changes, submitting progress updates, and requesting final determination on the TechBridge main page under After Your Application.

More Information

Read the TechBridge publication in the Dutch Government Gazette (in Dutch).