For 20 years, colloidal quantum dots (QDs) have been seen as a most promising optical gain material, offering tunable characteristics and a suitability for solution-based processing. However, while the formation of optically pumped QD lasers has become common practice, electrically pumped QD lasers remain to be demonstrated. To make optical gain overcome optical losses at reasonable threshold currents, better QDs and low-loss QD cavities are needed. E-QUAL proposes to address both challenges by a fundamental study aimed at (1) exploring III-V QDs as an optical gain material and (2) introducing a QD-on-cavity light emitting devices (LED) as the low-loss building block of an electrically pumped laser. Using expertise gained from CdSe/CdS QDs, research will expand in two directions. First, InP/GaP core/shell structures with alloyed interfaces will be investigated as a material that can mitigate the tradeoff between material gain and inverted state lifetime that limits CdSe/CdS QDs for optical gain. Second, QD-on-cavity LEDs – structures recently demonstrated at UGent where a QD-LED is made in overlap with the evanescent field of a guided optical mode – will be steered towards operating conditions optimal for electrically pumped lasing. In this way, E-QUAL will create the fundamental body of know-how in nanomaterials and nanophotonics that can turn QD lasing from a scientific excitement into a mainstream technology for on-chip sensing and spectroscopy.