Cy3C

The creation of a Cypriot Chips Competence Center (Cy3C) will contribute to the vision of making Cyprus a regional high-tech hub by providing services that are currently missing in Cyprus. Cy3C will provide specialized technical expertise, either locally or through the Competence Center network, in the area of microelectronics design to local startups, SMEs and RTOs. This will include facilitating setting up software, access to EU-wide Chips JUchip pilot lines and access to local infrastructure for testing. The Center will provide specialized training to ECE graduates related to chip and electronic system design, via a Chips-Act, purpose-built MSc course focused on Chip Design Aspects, to be hosted at the University of Cyprus (UCY). Further reskilling and upskilling of the existing workforce in industry/SMEs/RTOs, etc. will be provided by short courses/microcredentials in the area of microelectronics and chip design. For startups there will be a service for advising on business aspects, such as how to raise money and from where, company valuation, understanding term sheets, negotiation tactics and legal basics for entrepreneurship, as well as to providing support for accessing the EU Chips Fund. The Cy3C will promote activities of the Chips JU as well as promoting success stories to incentivise STEM education and chip technology related career paths. The partner, namely Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) is particularly well positioned to promote the new services available, as well as the benefits and the potential of customised integrated circuits and systems, for making high-tech products more competitive. It is expected that Cy3C will enable Cypriot Startups, SMEs and RTOs to access a pivotal key-enabling-technology that will enable the development of more diverse products and reduce the competitive advantage that the US high-tech companies have where it comes to software-hardware codesign for applications where power, size and cost are important fa