Quantum Delta NL, a foundation that connects knowledge institutions in the field of quantum technology in the Netherlands, announced on Wednesday the winners of the first ‘Quantum SME call’ during its annual event for the Dutch quantum community.
The following leading and promising SME quantum companies have been adjudged winners of the Quantum SME call, worth €7.87M:
- Appsilon Enterprise BV
- Delft Circuits
- Fermioniq
- Leiden Space Imaging
- Onnes Technologies BV
- Orange Quantum Systems
- Qblox
- QphoX
- QuantWare
- quantum cryptography lab
Quantum Delta NL intends to use this annual call to further capitalise on the huge potential of Dutch quantum companies for the Dutch economy and society.
Constantijn van Oranje, Special Envoy of Techleap.nl, states, “With its quantum strategy, the Netherlands is adhering to an innovative ecosystem approach. This call enhances both the Dutch quantum sector’s scientific and commercial output. Unfortunately, not enough professional venture capital is available for promising quantum companies, so we must support this new market with public money such as this grant.”
What do they get?
According to Quantum Delta NL, an advisory committee consisting of scientists, investors, and entrepreneurs, selected the ten companies out of eighteen project proposals. They were selected based on criteria like:
- Alignment with Quantum Delta NL’s agenda
- Technological potential
- Quality of the submitted project plan
- Commercial potential
- Economic and social impact
The winning companies will receive funding for innovation projects to establish their products and services. As a part of the initiative, SMEs can submit projects ranging from €500K to €2M, either individually or as a public-private consortium.
The Quantum Delta NL SME programme is a collaborative initiative between Quantum Delta NL, Nano4Society, and MinacNed. The initiative aims to connect 125 high-tech Dutch SME companies to increase the added value of SMEs in quantum technology.
Freeke Heijman, Ecosystem Development Director at Quantum Delta NL, says, “Building a business ecosystem is a key driver of the Quantum Delta NL programme. We aim to ensure that knowledge from scientific labs also leads to new activity in the Netherlands and Europe. This call gives the winners a huge boost to scale up their idea to a startup or scale-up.”
As a result, €35M will be available in the coming seven years. However, companies must also contribute €17M in cash or in kind, claims the foundation.
Previously, Quantum Delta NL also launched a micro-fund to support the early phase of quantum startups, and Infinity, a programme to connect Dutch quantum startups in all stages.
Through the National Growth Fund, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy) is increasingly encouraging technological innovations within industries such as quantum.
Minister Micky Adriaansens says, “Quantum technology is up-and-coming, and the Netherlands has acquired an excellent position in this field. Therefore, it is crucial to convert our knowledge into commercial activity and involve more innovative researchers and SMEs. Furthermore, financing early increases the chance of successful startups and scale-ups in this sector.”
Taylan Erol, Co-CEO of Appsilon Enterprise, states, “It’s an incredible honour to receive this grant. It’s a recognition that will help us realise the huge potential of diamond use in quantum technology by establishing a dedicated quantum diamond growth facility in Delft. We are excited to be part of the Quantum Delta NL ecosystem and push our company forward to disrupt the diamond industry status quo using sustainable diamonds and the power of quantum technology.”
