Description of the call
IPCEI AST concerns semiconductor research and development projects focusing on the first industrial deployment phase (First Industrial Deployment – FID), as well as infrastructure projects aimed at becoming part of the European semiconductor value chain.
In granting funding for IPCEI projects, the State Aid Act (688/2001) and the Government Decree on the funding of research, development and innovation activities (1444/2014) are applied.
Application period
The call closes on July 31st, 2026 at 4 p.m.
Funding decisions are made by Business Finland after the European Commission's notification decisions.
Focus areas
IPCEI AST targets disruptive technologies defined in the IPCEI on Advanced Semiconductor Technologies – Central Narrative document (pdf).
The key focus areas are:
- AI chips and accelerators
- photonic integrated circuits
- chiplets as well as heterogeneous integration and advanced packaging
- highly innovative contributions in areas where Europe is already strong, in particular:
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- disruptive sensors
- power electronics
- new solutions improving energy efficiency
- secure communication
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Target group of the call
Finnish companies participating in the international value chain of advanced semiconductors may apply as direct participants or associated partners. Roles are defined in the Participating in an Important Project of Common Europen Interest document (pdf).
Prerequisites for granting funding
The company must join the European advanced semiconductor value chain, the aim of which is the innovative industrial use of advanced semiconductor technology.
Research and development projects must:
- be highly innovative in nature, or
- generate significant added value for R&D activities, taking into account the latest state of the art.
Projects related to industrial deployment must:
- enable the development of a new product or service with a high level of research and innovation content, and/or
- enable the introduction of a fundamentally innovative production process.
First industrial deployment refers to the scaling-up of pilot facilities or to the very first equipment and installations, including stages following the pilot line – including testing – but excluding mass production or commercial activities.
The company must disseminate new knowledge generated through the funded activities (spillovers) not only to its customers, suppliers and project partners but also across the EU; IPCEI projects must enable wide dissemination of the knowledge acquired, regardless of whether it is protected by ownership or intellectual property rights. The mechanisms for knowledge dissemination must be described very clearly in the companies’ project portfolios. Protected results shall be disseminated on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory market terms.
The following are not considered IPCEI projects:
- continuous improvement of existing production lines without an innovative dimension
- development of new versions of already existing products
Obstacles to granting funding
- The company must not be in difficulty within the meaning of the EU state aid rules (Guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring non-financial undertakings in difficulty, point 2.2) at the time of the funding decision. Read more: Funding obstacles
- A project can be supported with public funding only if there is a market failure, i.e. the project cannot be carried out without such support.