EU invests €216 million to promote semiconductor research and innovation

The Semiconductor Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) announced the launch of €216 million in calls for proposals to support research and innovation initiatives in the fields of semiconductors, microelectronics and photonics. This announcement follows a first round of calls for innovative pilot lines, announced in November 2023, which secured €1.67 billion in EU funding.

This new series of calls will further support the European semiconductor industry by strengthening collaboration, industrial competitiveness and the transfer of knowledge from laboratories to factories. Consortia can submit proposals on topics addressing a wide range of challenges defined in the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda – from transistors in silicon chips to embedded AI, connectivity or the coordination and control of complex systems to improve performance and safety.

In addition, the projects funded under these new calls will contribute to the development of open source hardware for the automotive industry, support the transition to software-driven vehicles, and promote environmentally-friendly manufacturing processes. A specific joint call with the Republic of Korea will advance heterogeneous integration and neuromorphic (brain-like) computing technologies.

These calls are aimed at consortia made up of EU industrial players active in these fields from all Member States. They are expected to be matched by a proportional amount of funding from the States participating in Chips JU and by private sector investment. Applicants can submit their funding applications on the Funding and Tender Opportunities portal until 14 May 2024 (first deadline). More information on these calls and the application procedure can be found on the Chips JU website.

Source: European Commission | Shaping Europe’s digital future (https://shorturl.at/mvCHW)