Funding Opportunities for UK and Dutch Companies in Integrated Photonics

The UK and the Netherlands are increasingly aligned when it comes to integrated photonics and quantum technologies — and that alignment is beginning to translate into concrete funding routes that UK and Dutch companies can jointly access. Here is a summary of the key opportunities, past and present.

Eurostars — Opens 9 July 2026

The most immediately accessible route for a Dutch-UK photonics collaboration is Eurostars, the world's largest SME R&D funding programme. Both the Netherlands and the UK are participating countries, with Dutch SMEs funded by RVO and UK SMEs funded by Innovate UK — each from a shared ranked project list, with no single application process to navigate for both sides.

Photonics and quantum are both listed as eligible sectors. Eurostars Call 11 is open from 9 July to 10 September 2026, and RVO is running a dedicated webinar for Dutch participants on 30 June. UK SMEs can receive up to 60% of project costs, and Dutch SMEs can access comparable Dutch national funding.

The programme runs on a bottom-up basis — there is no prescribed technology theme — making it well-suited to integrated photonics projects that do not fit neatly into a specific thematic call.

The Broader UK-Netherlands Relationship

These funding routes sit within a strengthening bilateral relationship. The UK-Netherlands Innovation Partnership, signed in London in November 2025, commits both governments to deepening cooperation in AI, quantum, and semiconductors — with integrated photonics explicitly identified as a priority area where the two countries have complementary strengths: Dutch expertise in active integrated circuits and the UK's knowledge in compound semiconductors and passive systems.

Both countries are also part of PIXEurope, a near-€400 million EU consortium to accelerate photonic chip development, with UK universities (Cambridge, Southampton) and Dutch institutions (TU Delft, University of Twente, TNO) participating alongside one another. With UK re-association to Horizon Europe now confirmed, and the UK joining the European Semiconductor Chips Joint Undertaking (Chip JU), multilateral routes through European programmes are also increasingly viable for joint Dutch-UK projects.

What to Watch

TechBridge Round 2 — no date announced yet, but widely anticipated. Monitor the Netherlands Innovation Network and RVO and for the UK InnovateUk announcments.

Eurostars Call 11 — open now, deadline 10 September 2026. The most practical near-term option for SME-led collaborations.

Chip JU calls — with the UK now a participating state, future Chip JU funding rounds for silicon photonics and integrated photonics will be accessible to UK organisations collaborating with Dutch partners.