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Start of R&D projects under the CRYONEXT programme for high-performance cryogenic systems


​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​On 4 March 2026, a seminar held in Grenoble marked the launch of the research and development activities for the six projects under the CRYONEXT programme. Its aim was to share roadmaps for high-performance cryogenic systems for the development of quantum technologies with all stakeholders: academics and industry representatives, as well as developers and users of cryogenic systems for quantum technologies. These projects cover the varied needs of emerging quantum technologies: thermometry, communication, sensors and computers, with each project targeting specific temperature and power ranges. The R&D implementation phase addressing bottlenecks at the component and system levels will last approximately two years. ​

Published on 4 March 2026

The seminar brought together nearly 80 participants from 15 companies and start-ups and 10 academic research laboratories. It provided an opportunity to address two cross-cutting topics of importance to the programme during round-table discussions: designing systems tailored to users and maintaining the link with these users during technology development, and ensuring national and European sovereignty in high-performance cryogenic systems for quantum applications. 



© ​CNRS/Institut Néel/Florence Fernandez



The afternoon was devoted to visiting the facilities of two companies and two research institutes based in Grenoble and renowned for their expertise in very low temperatures: the Department of Very Low Temperature Systems at the CEA*’s IRIG* and the Department of Condensed Matter – Low Temperatures at the CNRS’s Néel Institute, as well as the companies Air Liquide Advanced Technologies and Absolut System. 

 
​© ​CEA-Irig/DSBT/Raphaël Couturier

​Led by the CEA* and the CNRS*, CRYONEXT is one of the programmes under the Research and Innovation strand of the national strategy for quantum technologies and receives €34 million in state funding via the ANR*. ​

The aim of the CRYONEXT Programme is to secure France’s supply of high-performance cryogenic systems for quantum technologies developed by national industrial and research stakeholders. This must be achieved within a highly competitive international context, where technologies are subject to export controls and R&D resources are critically scarce.

 

List of 6 R&D projects​ involving CEA-Irig​

  • P1 Cryostat farms and new architectures for scaling up
  • P2 1.5K–5K cryostats optimised for photonics 
  • P3 500 mK high-power cryostats for semiconductor quantum technology 
  • P5 20 K – 80 K cryostats for quantum communication and sensors 
  • P6 Innovative magnetic refrigeration 
  • P7 Innovative and sovereign milli-Kelvin thermometry​

 

Principal investigators: Marc Delpech, Deputy Director for Science and Programmes at the CEA’s DRF*, and Sébastien Tanzilli, Deputy Director for Science at CNRS Physics and Programme Coordinator for the Quantum Programme at the CNRS*.

 


*

ANR – Agence nationale de la recherche

CEA - Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives

CNRS - Centre national de la recherche scientifique

DRF - Direction de la recherche fondamentale

IRIG - Institut de recherche interdisciplinaire de Grenoble - CEA



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