The Defense Department released the Microelectronics Commons "call for projects" today for fiscal year 2024, with project awards scheduled for the third quarter.
The Microelectronics Commons program was created through the CHIPS and Science Act, passed by Congress in 2022, to further U.S. microelectronics prototyping, manufacturing and production at scale through the establishment of regional innovation hubs intended to link the U.S. government with private industry.
The FY-24 call for projects will provide up to $280 million to proposals that interest DOD, according to today’s press release.
“This Call for Proposals is the next step in our effort to bridge the valley of death from ‘lab-to-fab,’” said David Honey, deputy defense under secretary for research and engineering, in the release. “With participation from companies and universities across the nation, these projects will catalyze domestic production of advanced microelectronics that are vital to America’s national defense and economic competitiveness, supporting the goals set forth by the White House and the CHIPS and Science Act.”
The Call for Projects is when companies and organizations can submit proposals to the innovation hubs for review. The proposals should focus on one of the six areas of emerging technology that the Pentagon has named as critical focus areas for the program: electromagnetic warfare, secure computing at the tactical edge, AI hardware, 5G/6G wireless, quantum and commercial “leap-ahead” technologies.
Leaders of the Microelectronics Commons said at a fireside chat in November that hub leads will have 60 days to create responses that will be due in February. In the first quarter of the fiscal year, hub leads will then choose up to 15 project solutions to submit to the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL), a government contractor helping lead the Microelectronics Commons, who will review and deliver the project proposals to DOD for project selection and eventual awarding.
“The Department anticipates project awards to occur in the third quarter of FY24,” the press release said.
Hubs will compete annually for project awards, which could include infrastructure required in proposals, according to NSTXL’s website.
NSTXL also states that questions about the call for projects are due Jan. 8 and projects are due Feb. 28.
Today, there are over 380 organizations within the eight regional innovation hubs, including over 100 academic institutions across 35 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, working to create a strong pipeline for the defense industrial base when dealing with microelectronics, according to the release.
“The U.S. military has an ever-increasing need for innovation in the microelectronics that underpin many of our modern weapon systems, including communications equipment, planes, tanks, long-range munitions and sensors,” Honey said in the release.