Microelectronics by competition – Newspaper Kommersant No. 37 (7482) dated 03.03.2023

The Russian Science Foundation (RSF) plans today to announce the launch of the first competition for the selection of technological proposals in the direction of “Microelectronics”. It is assumed that this will identify the request of companies for manufacturing technologies, materials and equipment in this area. Based on the selected applications, a competition of projects for the implementation of technological proposals will be held. Research will be supported by grants, and customers will undertake to implement the results of the work. So far, the design looks like an experiment in distributing the risks of “end-to-end projects” in electronics among small companies.

During the tender for proposals for the implementation of experimental design (R&D), experimental design and technological work, the Russian Science Foundation (a non-profit organization operating in accordance with a special federal law) intends to receive applications from companies aimed at solving specific scientific and technological problems in microelectronics and tasks of manufacturing an electronic component base (ECB). We are talking about manufacturing technologies for products, materials and equipment, computer-aided design systems for electronic components. Applications will undergo a two-stage examination: an individual expert (he will be selected for each application) and then a scientific and technological council. Financial support is not provided at this stage.

Next, there will be a competition of scientific and scientific-technical projects for the implementation of the winning technological proposals. It provides for the implementation of search (oriented) and applied research, and then – experimental design and technological work, experimental design. Estimated funding (the money will be received by the performer) of applied scientific research is up to 30 million rubles. per year, for oriented – up to 10 million rubles. per year, the maximum support period is three years. The fund’s money is no longer provided for in the contract for work on R&D.

“As part of a technology proposal, there may be a request for several projects, both exploratory and applied research. It is important that they end with concrete results in the form of prototypes or experimental samples. It is ideal that they go to full-fledged technical tasks for development work, and this is the next stage, which we will progressively deploy, ”Alexey Medvedev, Deputy General Director of the Russian Science Foundation, explained to Kommersant. According to Alexander Klimenko, Chairman of the Fund’s Scientific and Technological Council, the agreement with the winner of the technological proposal competition provides that this company undertakes to implement the results obtained.

The issue of financing the program has not yet been resolved. The Russian Science Foundation expects that the money will arrive by the time the contractors for scientific and scientific and technical projects are selected. The amount has not yet been named. “There are different estimates for different periods,” said Alexei Medvedev. The money should come from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in this department they could not promptly respond to Kommersant’s request.

The mechanism for financing scientific projects in the field of microelectronics may de facto be an attempt to experiment on small companies to distribute risks within the framework of “end-to-end projects” in electronics. Recall that they involve the creation of guaranteed demand from large customers (banks, state-owned companies, etc.) for equipment of domestic origin that has not yet been released. The projects were planned to be launched before the end of 2021, but the government has not approved the allocation of funds for them. Now the mechanism that does not provide for the responsibility of the manufacturer of final solutions for their implementation (there is only the responsibility of the anchor customer) is being finalized. “It is important to clearly define the roles of all participants, including providing for the responsibility of suppliers,” the Ministry of Digital Development noted (see Kommersant dated February 4, 2022).

Venera Petrova