CHIPS Research and Development Office (CRDO) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is soliciting proposals from eligible applicants for research, prototyping, and commercial solutions that advance microelectronics technology in the United States, with applications due by September 15, 2026, before a temporary system pause. Eligible applicants include for-profit organizations, non-profit organizations, accredited institutions of higher education, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), and Federal entities, all of which must be domestic entities; individuals and unincorporated sole proprietors are not eligible. Subawardees may include all eligible applicants as well as foreign partners not otherwise prohibited by law, subject to specific compliance requirements. CRDO strongly recommends that Federal entities and FFRDCs seeking to respond first contact the CRDO point of contact to discuss eligibility, as alternative funding mechanisms may be pursued independent of this BAA.

Cost sharing is not required, though CRDO may fund only a portion of project costs if the applicant demonstrates access to sufficient funding for project completion. Project budgets must be at least $10 million. Awards will be issued as Other Transaction (OT) agreements with an expected period of performance of five years. As a condition of award, applicants may be required to issue equity, warrants, licenses to intellectual property, royalties, revenue sharing, or other instruments to ensure government return on investment.

The BAA prioritizes six topic areas: semiconductors (advanced test, assembly, packaging, materials characterization, metrology, virtualization, and manufacturing); artificial intelligence for advanced microelectronics research and development; quantum technology for advanced microelectronics; biotechnology and biomanufacturing for microelectronics; commercialization of innovations; and standards development. Evaluation criteria include national and economic security contributions, scientific and technical merit, project feasibility, commercial viability, and financial viability.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through September 30, 2029, via a two-part process: White Paper submission followed by invitation-only Pre-negotiation Package (for R&D Project Path) or Investment Fund Application (for Investment Fund Path). Applications submitted before September 15, 2026, will be reviewed in accordance with the BAA; collection of applications will be temporarily paused for system upgrades, with NIST expecting to resume accepting applications in November 2026. The Assistance Listing / CFDA number is 11.042.