Making ConneQtions

The Making ConneQtions project is a cross-border initiative funded under the Interreg VI Deutschland-Nederland programme, running from June 2026 to September 2029 with a total project budget of €8,027,265.40. It addresses one of the most urgent technological challenges facing modern societies: as digital data exchange becomes increasingly central to everyday life and critical infrastructure, targeted cyberattacks on cross-border infrastructure are on the rise, and the advent of powerful quantum computers threatens to render today’s encryption standards obsolete. Quantum communication offers a promising long-term solution to this threat, but realising it requires advanced photonic chips that cannot yet be sufficiently developed and tested within the region.

The project’s central objectives are the development of a new generation of quantum chips and the realisation of a unique, 70-kilometre cross-border testbed between Enschede and Münster. This testbed is designed to become a European hotspot where international companies and research projects can validate their quantum communication innovations under real-world conditions, making the Dutch-German border region a key node in Europe’s emerging quantum infrastructure. The participating SMEs will develop new chips and be prepared for future market entry, with the shared ambition of producing four million chips annually by 2032. Beyond the technological dimension, the project also generates direct societal value by helping end users secure their digital infrastructure, thereby contributing to data sovereignty in the region and beyond.

A key driver of the project is the recognition that the programme area already hosts a strong but fragmented cluster of high-tech SMEs active in photonics, semiconductors, and quantum technology. Without structured collaboration and a shared cross-border testbed, much of this potential remains untapped. Making ConneQtions directly addresses this gap by bringing together six complementary SMEs — QSA Technology, Sabratha Photonics, Microwave Photonics GmbH, Pixel Photonics, PiCard Systems, and Xen Quantum — into a joint cluster. Microwave Photonics GmbH (Duisburg, Germany) plays a particularly important role within this cluster, contributing its deep expertise in RF photonic components and photonic integration to the development of the quantum communication chips and the underlying testbed infrastructure.

The project is firmly embedded in the wider regional innovation ecosystem. Associated partners include Prodrive Technologies, TU Eindhoven, CeNTech, Elmos Semiconductor, the Reach EUREGIO Startup Center, QuiX Quantum, New Origin, CVD, and CITC. Discussions with Nokia and Vodafone Deutschland are also underway with the aim of strengthening the testbed with industrial network technologies. The full consortium of project partners encompasses Arcadiz, CeNTech GmbH, Elmos Semiconductor, Fraude Helpdesk, LioniX International, Microwave Photonics GmbH, New Origin, NMWP Management GmbH, PiCard Systems BV, Pixel Photonics GmbH, Prodrive Technologies, QSA Technology B.V., QuiX Quantum, REACH – EUREGIO Start-up Center, Sabratha Photonics B.V., Stichting Centrum voor Veiligheid en Digitalisering, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Universität Münster, Universiteit Twente, and Xen Quantum Nederland B.V. The project is led by Oost NL as Lead Partner, reflecting the programme’s broader ambition to position the Dutch-German border region as a driver of European innovation and technological sovereignty in quantum communication.