I-C3

Ireland’s Chips Competence Centre (I-C3) aims to be an independent centre of semiconductor business and technology experts led by the consortium partners Tyndall National Institute, MIDAS Ireland (the Microelectronics Industry Association), University College Dublin and MCCI (the Enterprise Ireland-funded Technology Centre for Microelectronics). I-C3 will provide a central, unified resource to accelerate achievement of enlarging the semiconductor sector in line with the national research and economic strategies and the opportunities presented by the European Chips Joint Undertaking (JU). This will be achieved through facilitating access to technology, pilot lines, the design platform, training and funding advice. The centre will proactively promote the offerings of the Chips JU Pilot Lines and Design Platform to industrial partners across the semiconductor value chain in Ireland and the EU with a particular focus on the needs of Small & Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Startups (including academic spinouts) together with and academic partners. To demonstrate the impact of the Competence Centre, its management will track its performance across a number of key indicators including: effectiveness in enabling SME and startup client access to technology, product deployment strategy and training; the number of: centre clients accessing the Chips JU Pilot Lines and Design Platform; client personnel trained; centre clients gaining access to venture funding programmes; centre clients receiving proposal writing supports for national and EU programmes and for VC finance; centre clients connected to the wider European network of competence centres and collaboration partners. The focus of I-C3 and the range of semiconductor technologies of relevance to its clients’, while quite broad in reach, share a common theme of deep-tech semiconductor materials & processes and the dense integration of multiple functions in super-heterogenous integration.