CHIPS JU
EU funding for semiconductor technologies and manufacturing capacity
Key deadlines and updates in Chips JU
May 2026: Chips JU Fab to Lab Accelerators DL
May 2026: IA & RIA project outline DL
Sep 2026: IA & RIA full proposal DL
Dec 2026: Evaluation results (expected timing)
Dec 2026: EFECS conference in Helsinki
Feb 2027: ECS Brokerage (expected timing)
Apr 2027: GAP signature (expected timing)
Chips Joint Undertaking
The Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) is a public-private partnership jointly funded by the European Union, Member States and project partners themselves. The strategic research and innovation agenda (SRIA) is defined by three industry associations: AENEAS, EPoSS and INSIDE. The Chips JU implements the Chips Act, a €43-billion strategic funding framework aiming for strengthening Europe’s technological sovereignty, resilience and global competitiveness in semiconductor value chains, reducing Europe’s dependence on external suppliers and boosting competitiveness in critical digital technologies.
Spinverse has a strong track record both in proposal preparation and in assisting the project management. The won cases include 9 ECSEL/KDT/Chips JU IA open call proposals (of which the smallest has €28 million and largest €68 million total budget), 2 Chips competence centres and one pilot line. In addition, Spinverse has provided coordination support for 11 ECSEL/KDT/Chips projects. We would be happy to provide open references.
What does the Chips JU programme support?
The Chips JU implements two distinct but complementary types of activities under the R&I ECS calls and C4EU (Chips for Europe) initiatives:
Key characteristics of electronic components and systems
(ECS) calls:
- Co-funded by the EU (Horizon Europe) and Participating States.
- Both bottom-up and top-down, industry-driven topics
- Large consortia including large companies, SMEs, RTOs and universities
- The EU funding rate depends on call type and partner type, ranging from 20% for Large enterprises in IA calls to 35% for non-profits. The national funding typically mirrors the EU funding rate, but depends on country.
What the ECS calls fund:
- Collaborative research & innovation projects; both RIA and IA mode
- Foundational technology layers, including Process Technology, Equipment, Materials and Manufacturing, Components, Modules and Systems Integration, Embedded Software and System of Systems
- Cross-Sectional Technologies, including Edge computing and embedded Artificial Intelligence, Connectivity, Architecture and Design as well as Quality, Reliability, Safety and Cybersecurity
- Application-driven innovation in mobility, energy, digital industry, health and well-being, agrifood and natural resources, and digital society
- Technology development across the full ECS value chain
Key characteristics of Chips for Europe Initiative (C4EU):
- The capacity-building arm of the European Chips Act
- Builds strategic technological infrastructure and skills across Europe
- Includes Pilot Lines, Design Platform and Competence Centres Network.
Who is eligible?
Consortia formed for the project usually include partners from multiple EU Member States (in minimum 3) and associated countries. Please note that the proposal process requires ownership clarification.
Eligible parties can be:
- Semiconductor manufacturers
- Fabless design companies
- Equipment and materials suppliers
- SMEs
- Start-ups (however, in some countries, the national agency may define the minimum size and maturity of an eligible start-up)
- Research and technology organisations
- Universities
How the proposal process works
- Defining a project idea that is in Chips JU funding scope (can be justified by SRIA), has not been recently funded, has clear focus and mission
- Developing and visualising the project concept
- Developing the consortium and use cases
- Defining initial work plan, excellence and impact structure
- Developing content for the funding proposal and budgets
- Funding proposal submission, 1-stage or 2-stage depending on the call
- Technical evaluation, consensus decisions of the public authorities board
- Grant Agreement Preparation (GAP) for selected projects
Preparation time:
Early strategic preparation significantly increases competitiveness. Expecting the project outline deadline typically is in April-May, we strongly recommend getting started in November or December of the previous year the latest.
What evaluators really look for
Chips JU funding proposals are evaluated based on three main criteria:
Excellence: Clarity and pertinence of the objectives, the level of ambition and advancement beyond state-of-the-art and the soundness of the proposed methodology.
Impact: Credibility of the pathways to achieve the expected outcomes and impacts defined in the ECS SRIA and/or Chips JU Work Programme and the scale and significance of the expected contributions at European and/or international level.
Quality and efficiency of the implementation: Quality and effectiveness of the work plan and the extent to which the consortium brings together the necessary expertise.
Strong project ideas may lose points when:
- Alignment with European strategic priorities is weak
- Industrial participation is limited
- Scalability or deployment logic is insufficient
- Clear focus and mission is missing
- The (bottom-up) topic has been recently funded.
Why Spinverse?
Our experts combine in-depth knowledge of electronics and semiconductor technologies with extensive experience in building complex large-scale innovation projects. We translate technical insight and value chain understanding into clear concepts, project plans and competitive funding proposals.
We can support organisations through:
Developing of a solid project concept that matches the call targets and SRIA
Consortium building across Europe; more than 110 different organisations active in Chips JU have participated in our consortia
Building of industry-driven use cases
Work package structuring and budgeting
Funding proposal preparation and coordination
Alignment with national co-funding requirements
Grant Agreement Preparation (GAP) support
Project management and reporting of a funded project
(this can also be offered for projects which Spinverse has not built)
Successful projects with our customers
Spinverse microelectronics and semiconductor innovation projects involve multi-partner, cross-border collaborations where alignment between technical goals, market needs and funding programmes is essential. To date, we have worked with more than 110 different stakeholders in the European semiconductor ecosystem.
PROACTIF
Strengthening Europe’s technology resilience and leadership in ECS technologies
Nokia is leading PROACTIF, a project funded by the European Union’s Chips Joint Undertaking. The project aims to strengthen Europe’s technology resilience and leadership in ECS technologies and support the autonomy of the European Drone and Robotics industry.
€42 m funding • 42 partners • 3 years
Successful projects with our customers
Spinverse microelectronics and semiconductor innovation projects involve multi-partner, cross-border collaborations where alignment between technical goals, market needs and funding programmes is essential. To date, we have worked with more than 110 different stakeholders in the European semiconductor ecosystem.
APECS
The European pilot line for advanced heterogenous packaging
The APECS pilot line, coordinated by Fraunhofer Group for Microelectronics / Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD), aims to bolster the European Union's capabilities in the semiconductor sector, particularly in the development of next-generation technologies for advanced packaging and the integration of diverse chip and chiplet technologies.
€730 m funding • 10 partners • 5 years
Successful projects with our customers
Spinverse microelectronics and semiconductor innovation projects involve multi-partner, cross-border collaborations where alignment between technical goals, market needs and funding programmes is essential. To date, we have worked with more than 110 different stakeholders in the European semiconductor ecosystem.
NEWLIFE
Developing new remote non-invasive monitoring solutions for mothers and babies
Newlife is an ambitious Chips JU (earlier KDT JU) project aiming to secure the health of mothers and their babies by developing novel holistic monitoring solutions. Newlife project partners will together demonstrate different technologies to enable early and non-invasive detection of risk factors in pregnancies and for newborn babies.
€22 m funding • 27 partners • 3 years
Talk to our expert
Get in touch to discuss whether Chips JU is the right funding programme for your project and how Spinverse can support your funding proposal preparation.
Eeva Viinikka
Learn more about our recent references
FAQs
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Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) is an EU public-private partnership funding semiconductor research, innovation and capacity-building projects under the European Chips Act.
Chips JU combines EU funding with national contributions and private sector co-investment.
Yes. SMEs can participate as part of multinational consortia and play key roles in innovation and value chain development.
Chips JU focuses widely on technologies related to semiconductors and microelectronics and on industrial capacity building. It also includes a national funding component. The bottom-up calls offer the industrial players with wide freedom to suggest their own RDI ideas. The projects are typically very large with 20-50 partners and €20-50 million in total budget, while the funding rates are lower. The majority of the hardware related funding opportunities are covered by Chips JU.
Typical Horizon Europe projects, for their part, provide EU funding only and are based on clearly defined funding calls where the project idea must match 100%. The total budgets are typically €4-15 million with 70-100% funding rates.
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