L 229/56
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
18.9.2023
(5)
The Initiative aims to reinforce the competitiveness and resilience of the semiconductor technological and industrial base, whilst strengthening the innovation capacity of its semiconductor ecosystem across the Union, reducing dependence on a limited number of third-country companies and geographies, and strengthening its capacity to design and produce, package, reuse and recycle advanced semiconductors.
The Initiative should support those aims by bridging the gap between the Union’s advanced research and innovation capabilities and their sustainable industrial exploitation.
The Initiative should promote capacity building to enable design, production and system integration in next-generation semiconductor technologies, and should enhance collaboration among key players across the Union, strengthening the Union’s semiconductor supply and value chains, serving key industrial sectors and creating new markets.
(6)
The Initiative’s operational objectives referred to in Article 4(2), points (a) to (d), of Regulation (EU) 2023/1781 (‘operational objectives 1 to 4’) should be implemented through actions that should build upon the strong knowledge base acquired by the ECSEL Joint Undertaking established by Council Regulation (EU) No 561/2014 (7), which was replaced by the Key Digital Technologies Joint Undertaking.
The Key Digital Technologies Joint Undertaking should be renamed the Chips Joint Undertaking and should be tasked with providing financial support, through any instrument or procedure provided for in Horizon Europe or DEP, to actions funded under the Initiative.
Throughout the lifetime of the Chips Joint Undertaking, up to EUR 2,875 billion should be dedicated to the Initiative.
Of that amount, EUR 1,450 billion should be for capacity-building activities for operational objectives 1 to 4 and EUR 1,425 billion should be for research and innovation activities related to operational objectives 1 to 4.
Furthermore, EUR 1,3 billion should be dedicated to research and innovation activities not covered under the Initiative.
(7)
The activities funded by the Chips Joint Undertaking should be covered in one single work programme, which should be adopted by the Governing Board of the Chips Joint Undertaking set up in accordance with Article 14(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 (the ‘Governing Board’).
The work programme should include two specific parts.
The first specific part should include a subsection on capacity-building activities for operational objectives 1 to 4 and a subsection on research and innovation activities related to operational objectives 1 to 4.
The second specific part should be dedicated to research and innovation activities not covered under the Initiative.
(8)
All research and innovation activities, including those related to the Initiative, should be financed through Horizon Europe to implement the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda as defined in Article 2, point (12), of Regulation (EU) 2021/2085.
The subsection dedicated to capacity-building activities should be financed through DEP.
(9)
The work programme should include the conditions for access to publicly funded infrastructure, such as pilot and testing facilities and the competence centres, ensure openness to a wide range of users and grant access on a transparent and non-discriminatory basis and on market terms, or on a cost-plus-reasonable-margin basis, for large undertakings, while including preferential access or reduced prices for small and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs’) and academic institutes.
(10)
Before the work programme is prepared, the Public Authorities Board, taking into account the advice of the private members to ensure the industrial relevance of the activities set out in the work programme and, where appropriate, the advice of the European Semiconductor Board and input from other relevant stakeholders, should outline the specific parts and relevant subsections, including their corresponding expenditure estimates.
For that purpose, the Public Authorities Board should include only the Commission and Member States.
Subsequently, on the basis of this outline and the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda, the Executive Director of the Chips Joint Undertaking should prepare the work programme for both specific parts and relevant subsections and their corresponding expenditure estimates.
(7) Council Regulation (EU) No 561/2014 of 6 May 2014 establishing the ECSEL Joint Undertaking (OJ L 169, 7.6.2014, p. 152).