The Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) is a pioneering initiative committed to catalysing research, development, and manufacturing capabilities across Europe. In this section, we delve into the key facets of Chips JU and its mission to shape the semiconductor future of the European Union.

The Chips Joint Undertaking (JU) supports research, development, innovation, and future manufacturing capacities in the European semiconductor ecosystem.

Each Call for Pilot Line includes three interrelated calls:

• A Call for Expression of Interest for the selection of a Hosting Consortium.
• A Call for proposals for Set-up, integration and process development, funded under the Horizon Europe Programme.
• A Call for proposals for the operational activities of the pilot line, funded under the Digital Europe Programme.

The same application is submitted to those calls and the evaluation will consist of the simultaneous evaluation of the interrelated calls. A consortium will only be eligible for funding if its proposal for all three calls passes the necessary thresholds.

The table below provides information(action and title and the maximum EU expenditure):

EU funding rates are up to 50% for grants under the Digital Europe Programme, and up to 100% for grants under Horizon Europe.

The Union financial contribution to the Chips JU for the implementation of the Pilot Line shall cover up to 50% of the total costs of the pilot line. The remaining total cost of the pilot line (including VAT if applicable) shall be covered by the members of the Hosting Consortium and/or by the Participating State(s) where the Hosting Consortium members are established.

• Information Technology
• New Entrepreneurship
• Research, Technological Development and Innovation

• Legal Entities
• Private Bodies
• Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
• Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
• State-owned Enterprises

For the Call for Proposals for Set-up, integration and process development (Horizon Europe)

The admissibility and eligibility conditions are described in Annex A, Annex B and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

For the Call for Proposals for Operational activities of the pilot line (Digital Europe)

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must be legal entities (public or private bodies), established in EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs), EEA countries or countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature.

For the Call for Expression of Interest

The call is open to entities or consortia of entities fulfilling cumulatively the following conditions:

• The Hosting Consortium shall include the members that will host and operate the pilot line. The members of the consortium shall be from a Participating State to the Chips JU.
•  A consortium must consist of: (a) at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and (b) at least two other independent legal entities each established in a different Participating State;
• The members of the Hosting Consortium shall be registered as a legal entity in one of the Participating States;
• The applicant(s) shall have a legal personality on the date of the deadline for submission of applications and must be able to demonstrate their existence as a legal person.
• Applications shall include the provision of appropriate supporting documentation proving for each member of the Hosting Consortium that the commitment of the Participating State(s) where the member(s) of the consortium is/are established will cover the share of the total cost of implementation of the pilot line that is not covered by the Union contribution referred to in Article 128 of the SBA.
• Applications shall ensure, in accordance with Article 128(5) of the SBA Amendment, that access to the pilot line “be open to a wide range of users across the Union and granted on a transparent and non-discriminatory basis directly proportional to the financial contribution by the Union to the total costs of those activities”.
•  Applications shall ensure, in accordance with Articles 13(4) and 14(5) of the Chips Act that integrated production facilities and open EU foundries “have preferential access to the pilot lines […]. Any such preferential access shall neither exclude nor prevent effective access on fair terms to the pilot lines by other interested undertakings, in particular start-ups and SMEs”.

CHIPS JU

Τelephone: +32 2 221 81 02
Email: enquiries@chips-ju.europa.eu
Address: Chips JU, TO 56 -5/5, 1049, Brussels, Belgium

• Funding & Tenders - Operational activities of the pilot line - DIGITAL-JU-Chips-2023-SG-CPL
• Funding & Tenders - Set-up, integration and process development - HORIZON-JU-Chips-2023-RIA-CPL
• Amended Chips JU Work Programme 2023
• Appendix 2 - 2003 and Appendix 3 - 2003 (can be download as zip file