Future of Semiconductors | 24 521

Opportunity Information: Apply for 24 521

The National Science Foundation (NSF) "Future of Semiconductors" opportunity, also referred to as FuSe2, is a research and workforce-focused grant program built around the idea that semiconductor progress is no longer guaranteed by miniaturization alone. The solicitation frames microelectronics as being at a turning point: traditional scaling trends associated with Moore's Law are slowing, and improvements in computing, sensing, and communications are increasingly constrained by energy use, manufacturing impacts, and the difficulty of translating materials and device breakthroughs into real systems quickly. NSF is trying to close that translation gap by pushing teams to develop technologies in a more connected way, so advances in materials, processes, devices, and architectures are designed together with the needs of the end application instead of being developed in isolation and only later adapted.

A central theme is "co-design" across the semiconductor technology chain. In practical terms, NSF is asking proposers to treat semiconductor innovation as a stack where choices at one layer affect all the others. Rather than optimizing materials in a vacuum or designing architectures without awareness of device-level realities, projects are expected to consider multiple layers at once. Every proposal is required to include co-design that spans at least two of these areas: materials, devices, and systems. NSF highlights that this kind of holistic approach has been repeatedly recommended in government and industry studies because it can accelerate the creation of solutions that are not just faster, but also more energy-efficient, compact, robust, secure, and cost-effective.

The program is motivated by several concrete technology drivers. It emphasizes the need to reduce the energy consumed by computation and communications, to reduce environmental impacts tied to device and system manufacturing, and to improve performance speed and capacity while enabling new computing paradigms. FuSe2 is positioned as fundamental research that can enable a "new paradigm" in semiconductor capabilities, with the expectation that results will be relevant to future manufacturing and deployment, including new materials, new chemical or materials processes, new device concepts, and new architectures that are guided by application-driven system requirements.

FuSe2 also puts unusually strong weight on education and workforce development. NSF is not just funding research results; it is explicitly trying to address workforce shortages across the spectrum of semiconductor-related roles, from scientists and engineers to technician talent. As a result, proposals must include an education and workforce development plan that is integrated with the research activities, not treated as a separate add-on. The solicitation encourages a broad, inclusive view of workforce development and calls for engaging diverse talent pathways across STEM, including through two-year colleges, four-year universities, and minority-serving institutions. Partnerships between academia and industry are described as essential, both for accelerating technology transfer and for informing what infrastructure and training are needed in the real world.

For FY 2024, NSF plans to make FuSe2 awards as "Future of Semiconductor Co-Design Research and Education Grants." The award ceiling is up to $2,000,000 per project for up to three years, with award size expected to match the scope and team size. NSF anticipates around 20 awards. The program is collaborative by design: teams of all sizes may apply, but proposals must include at least a PI and a co-PI, and projects are expected to cross traditional discipline boundaries to meet the program goals.

Research proposals must align with at least one of three topic areas, and applicants are instructed to explicitly name the chosen topic area in the proposal title, although NSF welcomes projects that blend multiple topics. Topic 1 focuses on collaborative research in domain-specific computing, which generally means computing approaches tailored to specific application domains rather than one-size-fits-all general-purpose architectures. Topic 2 focuses on advanced function and high performance through heterogeneous integration, pointing to approaches that combine different components, device types, or technologies in integrated packages or systems to achieve performance and functionality beyond what a single monolithic technology can deliver. Topic 3 focuses on new materials for energy-efficient, enhanced-performance, and sustainable semiconductor-based systems, emphasizing materials innovations that can improve efficiency and performance while also supporting more sustainable manufacturing and life-cycle impacts.

Eligibility is limited to specific types of submitting organizations. Proposals may be submitted by U.S.-based institutions of higher education (both two-year and four-year, including community colleges), U.S. non-profit non-academic organizations that are directly tied to education or research activities (such as independent museums, observatories, research labs, and professional societies), and federally recognized Tribal Nations. Rules for who may serve as PI, co-PI, or senior personnel follow NSF's employment requirements: by the deadline, they must hold a tenured or tenure-track position, or a primary full-time paid research or teaching appointment (with certain exceptions such as approved family or medical leave as determined by the institution). Individuals primarily appointed at for-profit non-academic organizations or at overseas branch campuses of U.S. institutions are not eligible to serve in these roles. Foreign researchers may participate if they provide essential expertise, but they cannot receive NSF funding under this solicitation.

The solicitation also includes a key participation restriction related to prior FuSe awards. If an investigator is already a PI or co-PI on an award made from the previous FuSe solicitation (NSF 23-552), that person cannot be a PI or co-PI on a FuSe2 proposal, though they may participate as Senior Personnel. Proposals that violate this rule are subject to being returned without review, so teams need to structure leadership roles carefully if they have prior FuSe award involvement.

Administrative details from the listing include that this is a discretionary grant opportunity under NSF, with CFDA numbers 47.041, 47.049, 47.070, 47.076, and 47.084. The funding opportunity number is 24-521, and the original closing date shown is March 14, 2024. Overall, FuSe2 is best understood as an NSF effort to speed the next era of semiconductor progress by forcing tighter coupling between fundamental discoveries and real system needs, while simultaneously building the training pipelines needed to design, fabricate, and deploy the next generation of microelectronics in the United States.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Future of Semiconductors" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.070, 47.076, 47.084.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-12-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-03-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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