Xecs—electronic components and systems 2023-24 call for proposals

1. Sector of focus

Micro and nano-electronics and photonics with applications in the following areas:

• agrifood and natural resources
• digital industry
• digital society
• energy
• health and well-being
• mobility

2. Application deadlines

• Project outline: January 18, 2024 at 5 pm CET
• Full project proposal: April 18, 2024 at 5 pm CEST

3. How to apply

Applicants must register through the Xecs Project Zone to apply.

4. Related tools and events

• Xecs webinar How to submit a Xecs proposal in the Project Zone – October 25, 2023 at 11 am CEST
• NRC IRAP mission to PIC Summit – November 6 to 10, 2023
• Access the ECS collaboration tool for project development and consortium building

5. Project funding

Eligible project participants in collaborative projects selected through this call for proposals may receive funding from their respective national funding body. Funds will be provided in accordance with the applicable laws, regulations, rules and procedures established by the relevant national funding body, country, jurisdiction or program.

Each project participant should contact their national funding agency early in the process and follow their advice regarding national funding applications in parallel to the proposal submission.

Non-eligible project participants (e.g. universities, research institutes, and participants from other countries) are welcome to participate on a self-funded basis or as sub-contractors to funded participants, according to each country's funding regulations.

6. Canadian funding eligibility

Canadian SMEs

In Canada, this call for proposals is offered through the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP). NRC IRAP funding is only available for eligible Canadian small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Project participants who are not eligible for funding are welcome to participate on a self-funded basis.

To be eligible for funding a Canadian SME applicant must:

• be an incorporated, profit-oriented SME in Canada
• have 500 or fewer full-time equivalent employees
• pursue growth and profit by developing and commercializing innovative, technology-driven new or improved products, services or processes in Canada
• have a differentiated and protectable technology that could become competitive in global markets
• have sufficient working capital and resources to undertake a multi-year R&D collaboration and commercialize the results
• be committed to significant growth through international market expansion

Preference may be given to Canadian SME applicants who:

• have a minimum of 15 full-time equivalent employees
• have commercialized 1 or more products domestically or internationally
• have greater than $500,000 CAD in annual revenue

Note: Canadian SME applicants must be eligible for funding as NRC IRAP clients before they can be considered for funding through this call for proposals. For more information on NRC IRAP eligibility and becoming an NRC IRAP client, please contact NRC IRAP at 1-877-994-4727.

Note: Canadian SME applicants may apply to more than one NRC IRAP funded call for proposals simultaneously. However, NRC IRAP may limit the number of funded projects per applicant. Canadian SME applicants who are applying to more than one opportunity or who have ongoing NRC IRAP projects should speak to their NRC IRAP representative for more information.

Other Canadian organizations

Other types of Canadian organizations may participate in Xecs projects. However, they must secure funding from alternative sources or self-fund their project participation.

7. More information

Xecs is a new cluster under the Eureka Clusters Programme and builds on the highly successful Euripides² and Penta programmes. This cluster is managed by the AENEAS Industry Association, with strategic focus provided by AENEAS and its partners, Inside and EPoSS. For more information, see the ECS Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda. AENEAS is supported by key industry players including:

• Adimec
• Airbus
• ASML
• Bosch
• CEA
• Fraunhofer
• IBS
• Imec
• Infineon
• IU.Net
• LPE
• muRata
• NXP
• Philips
• Recif Technologies
• STMicroelectronics
• Soitec
• Thales
• Volkswagen Group
• Zeiss

Xecs provides networking tools and organises ECS community events where participants can generate and present project ideas, build consortia and find projects.

8. Contact

To learn more about Xecs and this call for proposals, please visit the Xecs website or contact Kasturi Narayanan at Kasturi.Narayanan@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.