CSconnected compound semiconductor cluster awarded £50,000 in seed funding

CSconnected is one of 24 projects (the only one based in Wales) to receive early-stage funding from the ‘Strength in Places’ Fund of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to develop full-stage bids that are intended to lead to significant economic growth in locations across the country.

Wales is home to IQE, SPTS Technologies, Newport Wafer Fab and Microsemi who, along with academic partners and the UK Government’s £50m compound semiconductor applications Catapult, form CSconnected (which is reckoned to be the world’s first compound semiconductor cluster).

Each of the shortlisted projects from the first wave of UK Research and Innovation’s Strength in Places Fund has been awarded up to £50,000 in early-stage funding, which will allow applicants to develop full-stage bids. Teams behind the projects will then submit these bids to UKRI in late 2019, with four to eight of the strongest set to receive £10-50m each to conduct projects designed to drive substantial economic growth.

Operating across the UK with a budget of more than £7bn, UK Research and Innovation brings together the Arts and Humanities Research Council; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; Economic and Social Research Council; Innovate UK; Medical Research Council; Natural Environment Research Council; Research England; and Science and Technology Facilities Council.

Announced in the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy in November 2017, the UKRI’s Strength in Places Fund aims to benefit all nations and regions of the UK by enabling them to tap into research and innovation capabilities across the country. The fund brings together universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, local leadership and government on projects leading to significant economic impact, high-value job creation and regional growth.

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First compound semiconductor cluster branded CS Connected

Tags: IQE

Visit: http://csconnected.com