CHIPS Research and Development

The Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) funds semiconductor and microelectronics research and development under CHIPS R&D (CFDA 11.042), with the most recent grant awards disbursed on October 1, 2024. The program accelerates development and commercial deployment of foundational semiconductor technologies by establishing and providing access to domestic research tools, resources, and facilities.

CHIPS R&D funds the development of specialized metrology, measurement, and characterization tools for semiconductor manufacturing, photonics integration, advanced packaging, and failure analysis. Recent awards support RF channel sounder systems, cryogenic components for imaging applications, in-line wafer metrology, extreme ultraviolet lithography calibration technology, photonic integrated circuit design signoff software, semiconductor supply-chain provenance tracking, x-ray source systems, thermal analysis instruments, electron microscopy cameras, and high-voltage transmission electron microscopy specimen holders. The program also funds an entrepreneurial fellowship pilot program providing non-dilutive funding, mentorship, prototyping capabilities, and facility access to early-stage semiconductor manufacturing companies. All assistance is structured as Cooperative Agreements, which typically include subaward provisions for collaborative development and validation work.

NIST is the sole funding agency under this program. Over the past year, the program awarded 18 cooperative agreements totaling $10.1 million in federal obligations. Individual awards range from approximately $258 thousand to $5 million; the $5 million award funds the entrepreneurial fellowship pilot program supporting up to 10 early-stage fellows, while most other awards cluster between $277 thousand and $310 thousand for phased technology development projects with completion dates between 2026 and 2028.

The CHIPS Research and Development Office Broad Agency Announcement (2025-NIST-CHIPS-CRDO-01) is currently open to all eligible applicants—for-profit organizations, non-profits, accredited institutions of higher education, FFRDCs, and Federal entities—with a submission deadline of September 15, 2026. NIST notes that application collection will pause on that date for system upgrades and resume in November 2026. Eligible applicants must be domestic entities; foreign partners are permitted as subawardees subject to compliance requirements. The MSE Research Grant Programs NOFO (2025-NIST-MSE-01) also accepts applications through September 15, 2026 and funds metrology, standards, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing research.