Competence Centers

Overview

Objectives

This call will ensure the creation and support to the activities of the chips competence centres

Activities/actions supported

Chips CCs shall offer several support activities. Offering such support activities is common to all Chips CCs and is a necessary characteristic to belong to the network of competence centres. Support activities can be: Awareness raising, promoting services, promoting success stories; Facilitate access to the design platform and to pilot lines by providing information and support on how to access the platform or the pilot lines when users do not have the knowledge or expertise to do so directly; Support interested users in developing semiconductor solutions (technology transfer) by supporting technology transfer activities at local/regional/national level and – where needed – at EU level. Research activities as well as operation, administration or procurement of infrastructures are not within the scope of Chips CCs,but competence centres are expected to advise on such activities and support knowledge transfer e.g. from relevant R&I initiatives to the local semiconductor ecosystem.Support could also be in the form of matchmaking between a research organization and a user; In addition, Chips CCs could grant facilitated access to experts in such areas as legal compliance and business development. They may offer assistance to SMEs in creating business plans and conducting market studies; Providing (access to) training on skills;Participate in the organization of a European Network of Chips Competence Centres (ENCCC) and facilitate the access to this network. Part of the resources of a Chips CC should be dedicated to building and extending this network, in collaboration with a Coordination and Support Action (see Chips-CCC-2 : Support to the European Network of Chips Competence Centres). Chips CC should act as entry points to other European initiatives, such as the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs, HPC competence centres, cybersecurity centres, etc. The goal is to ensure that national stakeholders have access to the best available expertise and support in Europe, by matching stakeholders’ needs with the available expertise in the network of competence centres. Such expertise may be the specialisation of another competence centre and be accessible through the ENCCC; Promoting the Chips Fund and facilitating access to venture capital.

Anticipated outcomes

The competence centres shall: promote the actions developed by the Chips JU in the frame of the Chips for Europe Initiative as well as the success stories,be a first entry point for users (mainly SMEs and startups) and guide users in accessing the other infrastructures set up by the Chips JU under the Initiative, the design platform and the pilot lines, be essential in facilitating skill development activities, support companies in accessing the Chips Fund, other activities that can help European organizations (mainly SMEs and startups) to develop their activities in the frame of the Chips initiative and vice versa support the consortia that implement the pilot lines and the design platform to reach out to the larger community of organizations that could profit from those efforts.

Institution providing the funding

European Commission

Size of funding

Up to EUR 116 000 000

Conditions

Overview of eligibility criteria

Applications will only be considered eligible if their content corresponds wholly (or at least in part) to the topic description for which they are submitted.

Candidates to the consortium for a Chips CC must at least fulfil the following criteria: Appropriate competences to provide the services outlined above;

Appropriate management capacity, staff and infrastructure necessary to provide the services outlined above; Operational and legal means to apply the administrative, contractual and financial management rules that come with a grant agreement;Appropriate financial viability, corresponding to the level of funds they will be called upon to manage. Applicants must be legal entities and be established in EU Member States and listed EEA countries and countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme

Overview of award criteria

Relevance; Implementation; Impact Threshold is 3 out of 5.

Procedures

Application procedures

The Chips JU will launch an open call for proposals to set up competence centres in semiconductors. To be eligible, a proposal submitted to the call will have to provide proof that the centre has been designated by its Participating State and that it will be co-financed by the Participating State. In particular, the proposal shall include as mandatory document a letter describing the formal commitment of the Participating State.In the evaluation phase, the Chips Joint Undertaking will evaluate proposals by designated candidate centres. In case a Participating State has designated more candidates than its desired number and size of competence centres, the evaluation will be competitive. Otherwise, the evaluation will be a quality assessment of designated candidates.Eligible proposals will be evaluated according to the criteria of DEP (see Award criteria) and all those scoring above all thresholds will be ranked. Based on the ranked list, the Chips JU’s Public Authorities Board will select proposals for funding. Selected proposals will get a grant from the Chips JU for a duration of 4 years.Further details on the evaluation procedure are described in the Governing Board Decision on the evaluation and selection procedures related to the calls launched by the Chips JU.

Application support available

For help related to this call, please contact: callschips-ju [dot] europa [dot] eu (calls[at]chips-ju[dot]europa[dot]eu)

Useful links

Link to funding opportunity

Link to the programme for more info