Canadian Compound Semiconductors and Advanced Packaging: Partnering visit to the United Kingdom
Request for expression of interest
Visit dates: March 12 to 19, 2025
Global Affairs Canada (GAC), through the High Commission of Canada in London, in collaboration with the National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), will be pleased to receive your application to participate in the "Compound Semiconductors and Advanced Packagingpartnering visit to the United Kingdom" under the Canadian International Innovation Program.
The Partnership Development Activity (PDA) will occur in-person from March 12 to 19, 2025.
Please note that interested companies must apply by Friday December 6, 2024.
Visit objective
The visit is designed to increase awareness of research and development (R&D) strengths and collaborative opportunities available within the UK market. It will focus on building Canada-UK research and co-innovation partnerships in chip design and accelerating the development, manufacture, packaging and applications of compound semiconductors.
Interested small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must be capable and ready to pursue joint R&D collaborations, with the goal of future commercialization, such as:
- validation of Canadian technologies in the UK market
- adaptation of Canadian technologies to meet British and global market needs
- co-development of new products and/or services combining Canadian and UK research and technologies
Important note
This PDA will take place as part of the January 2024 Canada-UK Science, Technology, and Innovation Memorandum of Understanding, which lists semiconductors as a strategic priority. NRC IRAP and Innovate UK plan to launch a Canada-UK joint R&D funding competition on semiconductors in Spring 2025. One of the main objectives of the PDA is to help facilitate introductions and potential collaborations that might benefit from support under this program.
Canadian delegation profile
Canadian delegates should meet the requirements below to benefit from this initiative:
- profit-oriented small or medium-size enterprise incorporated in Canada
- previous experience in commercializing technology for domestic or international markets
- capacity and interest to co-develop technology with UK partners
- committed to expansion to the UK market
- sufficient working capital and human resources to undertake a multi-year R&D collaboration and commercialize the results
Technologies of interest include, but are not limited to:
- compound/WBG Semiconductors
- semiconductor design / intellectual property (IP)
- advanced Packaging
- heterogeneous/Hybrid Integration
- photonics (including Silicon Photonics)
- emerging Materials
- prototyping and low volume piloting
- processing
Key application areas include:
- high-voltage systems (including utilities, industry and public power systems)
- sustainable Technologies (including Electric Vehicles, batteries, solar, wind)
- communications (including wifi, cellular 5G and 6G, satellite)
- sensors
- data centres
Visit itinerary
The PDA will include a pre-visit briefing session and pitch training in January 2025.
The in-market visit will take place from March 12 to 19, 2025, in four regions with strong semiconductor clusters: Cambridge, the North East of England, South Wales and Scotland.
The visit will comprise:
- briefings on the UK market and research ecosystem, including introductions to key stakeholders in both national government and devolved administrations of Scotland and Wales
- site visits and meetings with companies, as well as R&D and commercialization Centres of Excellence. The program details will depend on the interests of the delegates.
- dedicated pitching and B2B partnering activities with SMEs and researchers
- networking with local communities.
Note: Efforts will be made to engage additional companies and key stakeholders located in other geographic regions of the UK, including through interactions with Techworks and the National Microelectronics Institute and through Silicon Catalyst UK and its UK incubator, Chip StartUK.
The UK advantage
The UK semiconductor sector, which includes over 200 dedicated companies in research, design, and manufacturing, is valued at almost £10 billion and could grow to £17 billion by 2030. Whilst having strengths across the semiconductor value chain, the UK's semiconductor strategy has identified three particular areas of strategic advantage:
- Design and IP: Home to numerous dedicated design houses and over 110 companies.
- Compound Semiconductors: Including academic research through to wafer producers, fabrication plants, packaging houses and the Tier 1 organisations who apply the technology.
- Research and innovation: Driven by world-leading universities, including particular expertise in advanced materials, power electronics, silicon photonics, quantum technologies and heterogeneous integration, all of which could give the UK strategic advantage in the next stage of technology evolution.
The UK is also home to significant companies in wafer production and manufacturing tools (covering legacy silicon manufacturing to world-leading thin film fabrication and compound epitaxy) and advanced packaging processes, including radio frequency and power and advanced heterogeneous 2.5D/3D packaging technologies.
The UK's vision for its semiconductor sector is ambitious. Instead of trying to expand large-scale silicon manufacturing and onshore complete supply chains, the UK's National Semiconductor Strategy focuses efforts on its proven strengths (design and IP, compound semiconductors and research and innovation) - areas which fully align with Canadian capabilities. Canada and the UK are like-minded and trusted international partners and strengthening collaboration in semiconductors will help facilitate faster technological innovation, foster mutual economic benefit, and improve supply chain resilience and security for both countries.
Financial support for travel
The Canadian International Innovation Program (CIIP) may provide financial support to eligible Canadian SMEs for 50% of all eligible expenses that include but are not limited to the following:
- Economy class airfare
- Local transportation
- Accommodation
- Meals (per diems)
- Conference registration fees
Consult the Canadian International Innovation Program (CIIP) Applicant Guide for the complete list of eligible expenses. To access the CIIP Applicant Guide contact a CIIP representative at innovation@international.gc.ca.
How to apply for participation
- Interested companies should request an application form from the CIIP team at Global Affairs Canada: innovation@international.gc.ca
- Completed application forms should be sent to the CIIP team at Global Affairs Canada: innovation@international.gc.ca, no later than Friday, December 6, 2024
- Global Affairs Canada, The High Commission of Canada in London and NRC-IRAP will select Canadian companies that will participate in the delegation and provide selected applicants with a notification by Friday, December 20, 2024.
- Companies formally selected to participate in the PDA will then be invited to apply for travel funding support.
- Companies who have applied for CIIP funding will be notified of the funding decision no later than Friday, January 31, 2025.
Important note
Participation is limited. Applications submitted will be assessed and vetted to determine eligibility based on the quality of the information provided. In addition to the technical merits of the proposed technology, the company's internal capacity to adequately support and manage an international R&D project with UK partners will be assessed.
If you have any questions concerning application process, please see the CIIP webpage or email CIIP at innovation@international.gc.ca.
Canadian International Innovation Program (CIIP)
Global Affairs Canada in collaboration with the National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) delivers the Canadian International Innovation Program (CIIP) in the UK. CIIP supports industrial R&D partnership development activities between Canadian SMEs and companies in key markets, including the UK.
