Europe’s semiconductor strategy must strengthen regional ecosystems and accelerate the transition from research to industrial production, Thomas Schmidt (DE/EPP), Member of the Saxon State Parliament and European Committee of the Regions (CoR) rapporteur on the European Chips Act 2.0, said during a stakeholder consultation organised by the CoR.
The consultation brought together representatives of the semiconductor industry, regions, research institutions, universities, start-ups and SMEs to gather their views on the European Commission’s proposal for the European Chips Act 2.0.
Discussions focused on how the new Chips Act can create the conditions for faster investment, strengthen Europe’s semiconductor value chain and ensure that European research excellence translates more quickly into industrial applications.
“A successful European semiconductor policy requires strong regional ecosystems. It must connect research, industrial application and production across the entire value chain. Innovative small and medium-sized companies often already possess cutting-edge technological expertise. What they frequently lack is the capital and appropriate instruments needed to scale their solutions industrially,” said Thomas Schmidt who serves as head of the German Delegation at the CoR.
A key focus of the consultation was the role of regions in delivering Europe’s semiconductor ambitions. Regions are where investments are implemented and where networks between companies, research institutions and universities come together. They also play an important role in providing infrastructure, preparing industrial sites and developing the skilled workforce needed by the sector.
Stakeholders discussed how Europe can reinforce areas where it already has a technological advantage while closing strategic gaps across the semiconductor value chain, including materials and raw materials, design, manufacturing and packaging.
Particular attention was also given to the proposed European Semiconductor Region of Excellence label and how it could provide practical added value for Europe’s semiconductor regions. Other priorities discussed included faster permitting and approval procedures, access to research and testing infrastructure, skills and talent, and accelerating the transition from research to industrial production.
“The Chips Act 2.0 offers an opportunity to make Europe’s semiconductor policy more targeted and strategic. Europe is strong in research, but too often fails to translate research results into industrial applications. We must build on our existing strengths, close critical gaps in the value chain—such as in advanced packaging—and help innovative companies scale more quickly. The objective should not be to spread funding too broadly, but to provide targeted support that turns European capabilities into competitive industrial production. Europe’s regions can make an important contribution as partners of the European Commission. We must now move quickly from discussion to implementation,” Schmidt concluded.
The contributions from the stakeholder consultation will feed into Schmidt’s draft CoR opinion on the European Chips Act 2.0, which is expected to be put to a vote in the CoR’s ECON Commission on 6 October in Galway.