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Romanian microelectronics industry to receive 420 ml euros in EU funding under IPCEI initiative.
Under a successful call for Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) launched in early 2022, Romania's microelectronics industry will receive 420 million euros worth of EU funding that will go into three large-scale projects selected by the European Commission, the Ministry of Economy announced, told Agerpres.
Eight direct participants and 34 potential associated beneficiaries made it through the preselection stage and were notified as such to the European Commission.
"After a year of wait, Romania receives the big news: 3 out of 8 companies and 24 entities from the academic environment and SMEs (associated participants) will receive financing worth 420 million euros. As I said before, the Ministry of Economy supports the financing of research projects and prototype production through the IPCEI program for microelectronics. New opportunities for the Romanian technology sector open following the Commission's approval of projects that propose intelligent actuation solutions for electric vehicles, the development of automotive innovative technologies, combined processor and software solutions," Minister Florin Spataru said.
In accordance with EU state aid rules, the Commission approved an important project of common European interest for microelectronics and communication technologies to support research, innovation and the first industrial deployment of microelectronics and communication technologies across the entire value chain.
The Member States will provide up to 8.1 billion euros in public funding, which is expected to unlock additional 13.7 billion euros in private investments. As part of the IPCEI/ME/CT project, 56 companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups, will undertake 68 projects.
The IPCEI ME/CT project was jointly prepared and notified by fourteen Member States, one of which is Romania, which included this financing in its National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
The IPCEI ME/CT concerns research and development projects covering microelectronics and communication technologies across the whole value chain from materials and tools to the chip designs and manufacturing processes.
The first novel products may be introduced to the market as early as 2025 and the completion of the overall project is planned for 2032, with timelines varying in function of the project and the companies involved. Around 8.700 direct jobs are expected to be created, and many more indirect ones.
