Chips JU: Testing and validation of new semiconductor technology in pilot lines

Through the European partnership program Chips JU, five European infrastructures for testing and prototyping, so-called pilot lines, in semiconductor technology have been established. These are open to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to use for, for example, the development of semiconductor processing technologies, new semiconductor circuits, proof-of-concept and prototypes.

The pilot lines will open for use gradually starting in 2025. Through this call for proposals, Swedish small and medium-sized companies can apply support from Vinnova to use an Chips JU pilot line. Each project can apply support for up to 3.5 million SEK, and the project can run until October 2027.

The call for proposals will support small and medium-sized companies that want to improve their competitiveness in semiconductor technology and create new intellectual property rights.

The goal is to enable the use of available European research and innovation infrastructure in semiconductor technology to Swedish small and medium-sized companies for the development, testing and validation of their innovations. Such as the design of materials, components, systems on chips (SoC) or manufacturing processes.

It is possible to apply for support for the use of the following Chips JU-pilotlinor:

• NanoIC NanoIC pilot line
• FAMES FAMES Pilot Line
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• APECS- Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration for Electronic Components and Systems APECS
• WBG – Wide Band Gap Pilot line WBG pilot line
• PIXEurope - Advanced Photonic Integrated Circuits PIXEurope

Contribute to a sustainable system transformation

Eftersom Vinnova is tasked with promoting sustainable growth and system transition, your project should also contribute to increased gender equality and climate transition. We are based on the UN's global sustainability goals, defined in the 2030 Agenda. There we focus on two perspectives: gender equality and climate transition.

Equalized funding by innovations

An innovative force in a sustainable world

We target small and medium-sized companies working in design, development of production processes and products, production, research and innovation in semiconductor technology.

The company must have received approval from the current Chips JU-pilotlina to have access to its services and processes and have documented decisions and schedule to attach proposal to Vinnova.

Chips JU-pilotlinorna has individual assessment processes for granting organisations access to the pilot line services and processes. They decide which actors can access the pilot line and which project can be implemented with their available services and processes.

For information about the pilot lines' application process, eligibility requirements on organisations and project see available information on the pilot lines' respective websites.

The Swedish national competence center within Chips JU, Swedish Chips Competence Centre (SCCC), offers support and guidance for Swedish actors who wish to apply for access to services and processes offered by the pilot lines within Chips JU pilot lines. For more information, visit the competence center SCCC's website SCCC.

Through the call for proposals, a small or medium-sized company can receive funding to use a pilot line within Chips JU. The grant can, for example, go to:

• Develop technologies for processing semiconductors in the pilot line.
• Develop new semiconductor components in the pilot line.
• Develop proof-of-concept and prototypes of semiconductor components, material structures and production processes.

What costs can we finance?

Vinnova's funding is covered by rules about state aid. The rules govern what kinds of costs we can finance. These are called eligible costs.

In this the call for proposals, only costs for innovation advice and innovation support services are eligible.

Innovation advisory services: Advice, support or training relating to the introduction or use of innovative technologies and solutions (including digital technologies and solutions).

Innovation support services: Laboratories, testing, experimentation and other related services. Related services include those provided by research institutes and organisations for knowledge dissemination, research infrastructure and testing and experimentation infrastructure, and with aim to develop more efficient products, processes or services, including the implementation of innovative technologies and solutions (including digital technologies and solutions).

Innovation advice and innovation support services refer in this call for proposals to costs for access to the pilot line and the pilot line's services to an applicant SME. Innovation advice and innovation support services by an actor other than the pilot line are not eligible for support in this call for proposals.

For the cost to be eligible for support, the activity and scope must be stated in the project description, including the estimated cost stated in the budget in the cost category "Consulting costs, licenses".

In this the call for proposals, these types of costs are not eligible:

• Salary costs
• Equipment and land
• Other direct costs, including travel
• Indirect costs (overhead)

For more detailed information about which costs we can finance, see

Instructions for eligible costs

What eligibility requirements apply to costs we finance?

For a cost to be eligible, it must be:

• necessary for the activities in the project.
• booked correctly and separately from the organisation's other costs.

A organisation is also not allowed to claim someone else's expenses as their own.

For more detailed information about which eligibility requirements, limitations and exceptions apply, see Instructions for eligible costs

In order for us to assess your proposal it must meet certain formal eligibility requirementsrequirements. If the requirements are not met, we will reject your proposal immediately.

Eligibility requirements on participants

• The project party, beneficiary, must be a legal entity. Natural persons or individual companies cannot participate.
• The company must be an SME, a Swedish legal entity and conduct activities in Sweden.
• The company should be classified as a small enterprise – see EU definitionsmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
• Activities in the project must be carried out in the Swedish operation and project costs must be attributable to the operating location's activities.
• The most recent registered annual report must show net sales or equity equivalent to half of the amount eligible for funding from Vinnova.

Eligibility requirements on the project

• The project may not be started before proposal is submitted.
• The project manager must be employed in an operational role at the company.

Eligibility requirements on proposal

• Proposal should be written in Swedish or English.
• Proposal shall follow the instructions given in Section 9.
• Proposal should contain all requested attachments.
• Proposal shall contain a certificate from the current Chips JU-pilotlina that the company (SME) has received approved access to the pilot line's services with a specified time period for the implementation of the services and access.
• Proposal should have the CV for the project manager as an attachment.

Applications that meet the requirements in this call for proposals will proceed and the company's organizational and financial status will then be assessed by Vinnova.

The current pilot line has, before proposal to Vinnova, assessed and decided that the company will have access to the pilot line's services and processes.

How do we assess?

Once we receive the applications, we review them. We screen out any applications that are incomplete or that do not meet our eligibility requirements.

Before we decide on funding, we make a comprehensive assessment of the organizational and financial status of the organisation which receives funding. We use information that we obtain from credit reports, currently from Dun & Bradstreet.

How does it affect an organization's financial status?

For us to grant funding this applies:

• Organisations must not be insolvent, or undergoing liquidation or corporate restructuring. They must also not have any significant unpaid debts with the Swedish Enforcement Authority.
• Organisations may not cover project costs in this the call for proposals with public funding or own funds intended for other project.
• Limited liability companies must not have used up half or more of their share capital.
• If requested, SMEs must be able to demonstrate that they have the financial capacity to carry out the project according to their budget in proposal.
• The company must have at least two registered annual reports with the Swedish Companies Registration Office.

Once we have assessed all applications, we will send you a decision either granting or rejecting your proposal. Since applications are assessed competitively, you may be rejected even though you meet all eligibility requirements and criteria.

In the decision, we state how much of the costs we will cover for each organisation.

You cannot appeal our decision, but you are welcome to apply to us again at another time.

What if you are granted funding?

If we grant you proposal you must follow our general terms and conditions for funding. The terms include, among other things:

• That you will sign a special document in which you approve your participation and commit to carrying out the project.
• That you report how things are going, your costs and achieved results to us regularly during the project period.

See our general terms and conditions and get help understanding and fulfilling them

Special conditions

You also need to follow the special conditions that apply to this the call for proposals:

• Copies of invoices from the pilot line to the grant recipient must be sent to Vinnova, according to announced reporting dates.
• Copies of all invoices from the pilot line must be sent to Vinnova no later than in connection with the final reporting.

We may also decide to add additional special conditions for individual project. In that case, they will be stated in the decision.

Could you have to pay back funding?

If you have received more money than you are entitled to or if you do not follow our term, you may be required to repay.

In this call for proposals, incoming applications are read daily. We then send an email confirmation to the person responsible for the user account as well as to the project manager and the signatory. There is a final day when the call for proposals closes and then it is no longer possible to submit proposal.

Once you have submitted proposal, you cannot change anything in it. You can only supplement proposal if we ask you to.

Who can read your proposal?

Your proposal will be read by employees at Vinnova. Everyone works under a duty of confidentiality.

Applications submitted to us become public documents. This means that we must disclose them if requested. However, we keep certain types of information confidential if disclosure could be expected to cause financial harm to the individual. This applies to information about business and operational conditions, inventions or research results.

How we handle public documents and confidentiality