The purpose of this grant is to establish an entrepreneurial fellowship pilot program that will fund up to 10 early-stage companies ("fellows") focused on innovations in semiconductor manufacturing…

This Cooperative Agreement awarded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the CHIPS Research and Development (CFDA 11.042) program provides $5,000,000 in funding to establish an Entrepreneurial Fellowship Pilot Program. The program aims to support up to 10 early-stage companies ("Fellows") focused on innovations in semiconductor manufacturing technologies. The Pilot will provide non-dilutive funding, mentorship, prototyping capabilities, and facility access to enable Fellows to develop their technologies, identify commercial strategies, and explore domestic manufacturing scale-up opportunities. The Pilot Program is expected to further support the goals of the National Semiconductor Technology Center, CHIPS National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program, and other CHIPS initiatives, by integrating innovative semiconductor ideas and technology into the domestic semiconductor R&D ecosystem. The award is effective from October 1, 2024 through May 31, 2028.

Activities

The chips for america entrepreneurial fellowship pilot program will provide non-dilutive funding, mentorship expertise, prototyping capabilities, and facility access to early stage, entrepreneurial fellows, enabling them to develop their technologies and business operations while identifying the commercial strategies and manufacturing scale-up opportunities needed for sustained domestic production.

Expected outcomes

Chips research and development office (chips r & d) aims to accelerate the development and commercial deployment of foundational semiconductor technologies by establishing, connecting, and providing access to domestic research efforts, tools, resources, workers, and facilities. Consistent with this mission, this pilot program is for fellows to further develop and DE-risk their technology, identify commercial strategies and domestic manufacturing scale-up opportunities, broaden their network, and create a minimum viable product (MVP) with a pathway towards financial sustainability. More generally, the pilot program expects to explore areas to further grow the entrepreneurial semiconductor manufacturing ECO-system in a broader fellowship program. This pilot program aims to further support the goals of and develop lessons learned for the national semiconductor technology center, chips national advanced packaging manufacturing program, chips manufacturing USA program, and chips metrology programs. For instance, fellows may be expected to gain access to and collaborate with these programs.

Intended beneficiaries

The intended beneficiaries will be the funded fellow companies and the domestic manufacturing semiconductor ecosystem, including through the broad economic and societal benefits of new products.

Subrecipient activities

Fellows will be added as subrecipients following a competitive process.