The tech department has announced £35m in funding for the semiconductor industry as the UK joins an EU scheme providing grant funding for startups.
By joining the Chips Joint Undertaking – an EU scheme to advance the European semiconductor ecosystem – UK chip firms will have enhanced access to a €1.3bn funding pot for collaborative research set aside by Horizon Europe.
As a member nation, tens of thousands of the UK’s semiconductor firms are eligible for grants worth an average of £450,000.
Alongside joining the initiative, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has approved £5m to fund semiconductor research, with a further £30m due to support research between 2025 and 2027.
“Our membership of the Chips Joint Undertaking will boost Britain’s strengths in semiconductor science and research to secure our position in the global chip supply chain,” said Saqib Bhatti, the tech minister....