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 for support from Vinnova to use an Chips JU pilot line. Each project can apply for support of up to SEK 3.5 million, and the project may 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
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 transformation, should your project also contribute to increased gender equality and climate change? We are based on the UN's global sustainability goals, defined in Agenda 2030. There we focus on two perspectives: gender equality and climate change.

Equal funding of 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 for attaching proposal to Vinnova.

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

For information about the pilot lines' application process, eligibility requirements for organisations and project, see the information available 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 state aid rules. The rules govern what types of costs we can finance. These are called eligible costs.

In this the call for proposals only costs for innovation consulting 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 the dissemination of knowledge, research infrastructure and testing and experimentation infrastructure, and with aim of developing 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 in this call for proposals refer 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.
• accounted for correctly and separately from the organisation's other costs.

An organisation may also not claim someone else's costs as its own.

For more detailed information on 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 requirements. If the requirements are not met, we will reject proposal immediately.

Eligibility requirements on participants

• The project party, beneficiary, must be a legal entity. Natural persons or sole proprietorships 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 operation'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 for the project

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

Eligibility requirements on proposal

• Proposal must be written in Swedish or English.
• Proposal must follow the instructions given in section 9.
• Proposal must contain all requested attachments.
• Proposal must 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 of 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 assessed and decided before proposal to Vinnova 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 do not meet our eligibility requirements.

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

How does it affect an organization's financial status?

In order for us to grant funding the following 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 happens if you are granted funding?

If we grant your 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 supplementary special conditions for individual project. In such cases, 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 last 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 Vinnova employees. 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