UK joins EU chips joint undertaking with £5m
The UK has joined the EU’s Chips Joint Undertaking with an initial £5m investment.
This gives access to a €1.3 billion pot of funds set aside from Horizon Europe to support research in semiconductor technologies up to 2027.
Access to the one of the Chips Joint Undertaking’s funds is being backed by an initial £5 million this year from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and delivered by Innovate UK. An additional £30 million is due to support UK participation in further research between 2025 and 2027.
“We are very happy to welcome the UK to the Chips Joint Undertaking as a participating state. We are looking forward to working with the UK partners to develop the European industrial ecosystem in microelectronics and its applications, contributing to the continent’s scientific excellence and innovation leadership in semiconductor technologies and related fields,” said Jari Kinaret, Chips JU Executive Director.
The UK has joined the initiative as a “Participating State”, allowing the country to collaborate more closely with European partners on semiconductor innovation. As a Participating State, the UK will have a role in setting research priorities and funding decisions as the fund evolves in the years ahead.
This includes the opportunity for the UK to be a part of a new funding opportunity with the Republic of Korea to research ways to combine semiconductor chips to improve performance through advanced packaging – which the UK-Republic of Korea Semiconductor Framework, signed in November last year.
“Our membership of the Chips Joint Undertaking will boost Britain’s strengths in semiconductor science and research to secure our position in the global chip supply chain,” said UK Technology Minister Saqib Bhatti at the Global Semiconductor Association (GSA) conference in London.
“This underscores our unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology and cements our important role in shaping the future of semiconductor technologies around the world.”
This year the JU includes two focussed calls for funding bids on semiconductors for cars and other vehicles as well as RISC-V. It also provides more open opportunities for scientists and firms to bid for research support.
“UK Semiconductor startups have a rich history of collaboration with the European Union. Our semiconductor research base is the fourth largest in the world,” Sean Redmond, Managing Partner at SiliconCatalyst, which is working with the UK government to support silicon startups.
“As the UK Semiconductor Strategy ramps up its implementation phase in support of a thriving industry, I believe this initiative is the next major step enabling engagement with our global partners to advance the state of the art in chip development and innovative packaging technologies in the UK,” said Jalal Bagherli, Chairman, PTSL, Chair, Williams Advanced Engineering and Co-Chair of UK Semiconductor Advisory Panel.
This is good news for UK Semiconductors, opening up opportunities for UK Companies to compete with our European peers on a more level playing field. The UK has a lot to offer in this sector and we are grateful as this will foster a more supportive environment for innovation,” said Jen Walls, Chief Executive Officer Clas-Sic Wafer Fab in Scotland.
The deadline for Phase 1 applications this year is 14 May.
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