FuzeHub’s Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund is offering a new Microelectronics Innovation Challenge, with up to $180,000 in funding available to projects that help strengthen national defense through the advancement of New York State’s microelectronics industry. The solicitation was launched in collaboration with, and is available exclusively to members of The Northeast Regional Defense Technology Hub (NORDTECH), which Clarkson joined earlier this week. NORDTECH is a NYS-based academic / industry consortium focused on facilitating microelectronics fabircation and prototyping, and is part of the U.S. Microelectronics Commons program.
This program will provide three grants, each up to $60,000. This funding may support a range of innovative projects, including prototype and proof-of-concept development, design for manufacturing, supply chain improvements, and more. In addition to advancing NYS’s microelectronics industry, this program is intended to help incentivize partnerships between non-profits and companies in the microelectronics industry. Please consider proposing a project, in collaboration with an industry partner(s), to help advance your microelectronic research. At least one of your industry partners must be a manufacturing company based in NYS, with less than 500 worldwide employees. Additional collaborations are encouraged, especially with NYS-based manufacturers.
Clarkson is eligible to submit a maximum of three applications for this solicitation. Because of this, we are requesting that interested faculty and research groups draft and send a very brief statement of interest to Jamey Hoose @ the Shipley Center, jhoose@clarkson.edu, no later than 12:00 PM on Wednesday, 11/27. This statement of interest should come in the form of an email, and should: (a) briefly describe the project and what the funds would be used for, (b) identify your primary NYS manufacturing collaborator (less than 500 employees), (c) identify any other potential collaborators or supporters. These statements will be reviewed immediately and, if necessary, three projects will be selected to proceed to a full application. Full applications must be submitted to Fuzehub by December 16th.
As mentioned above, the purpose of NORDTECH’s Innovation Challenge is to strengthen national defense through the advancement of New York’s microelectronics industry. For the purpose of this Innovation Challenge, “microelectronics” include:
- Electronic components on the micrometer-scale or smaller
- Components and materials necessary for assembling printed circuit boards
- Materials, equipment, and processes necessary for the manufacturing and assembly of the above two categories.
For more details on eligible projects and the application process, please click here.