NSF Engines Development Award: Advancing semi-conductor technologies in the Northwest (OR, ID, WA)

该NSF引擎开发奖的重点是最终在美国西北地区创建一个半导体生态系统。该项目的服务区域包括俄勒冈州、爱达荷州和华盛顿州，合作机构包括半导体制造和供应链行业、国家实验室、州和地方政府以及教育机构。半导体生态系统包括与半导体行业相关的应用启发性研究，扩大创新和创业，创建培训计划，使包括副学士到研究生学位的劳动力，并增加不同群体的接触和意识，从而招聘到STEM领域。领导团队包括俄勒冈州立大学、华盛顿大学、博伊西州立大学、俄勒冈商业委员会和希尔斯伯勒市，以及行业和国家实验室合作伙伴，包括英特尔、美光、Meta、美国半导体、太平洋西北国家实验室、爱达荷国家实验室和其他组织。区域利益相关者已经确定需要在几个用途启发的半导体研究领域催化研发。最初的技术重点领域包括人工智能和机器学习、半导体、纳米光刻、内存和超摩尔功能。领导团队将分析这些重点领域在推进半导体技术方面的潜力，然后细化最初使用启发研究主题的范围和规模，以对该地区产生最大的技术和经济影响。半导体生态系统可以通过支持从业务案例开发到业务融资的整个周期的集成计划来加速转化，同时提供围绕创业和转化实践的凝聚力服务，作为创新引擎的关键组成部分。与多元化、公平、包容和准入合作伙伴密切合作，该项目将扩大其影响，以增加代表性不足的少数族裔对STEM学位课程和职业生涯的参与。将利用与区域STEM推广工作、社区学院和本科/研究生课程的合作来培养多样化的先进劳动力。NSF发展奖使项目团队能够通过识别实践状态和现有差距，确定使用启发的研究方向，强调转化为实践，扩大劳动力增长，并创建一个整合多样性，公平性，包容性，访问和创新文化的战略计划，为引擎创建一个框架。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This NSF Engine Development Award is focused on eventually creating a semiconductor ecosystem in the northwest region of the United States. The project's region of service includes Oregon, Idaho, and Washington, and partner institutions include semiconductor manufacturing and supply chain industries, national laboratories, state and local governments, and educational institutions. The semiconductor ecosystem encompasses use-inspired research related to the semiconductor industry, expands innovation and entrepreneurship, creates training programs to enable a workforce that includes associate to graduate degrees, and increases access and awareness of diverse groups leading to recruitment into STEM fields. The leadership team includes Oregon State University, University of Washington, Boise State University, Oregon Business Council, and the City of Hillsboro, along with industry and national laboratory partners, including Intel, Micron, Meta, American Semiconductor, Pacific Northwest National Laboratories, Idaho National Laboratories, and other organizations.Regional stakeholders have identified a need to catalyze R&D in several use-inspired semiconductor research areas. Initial technical focus areas include artificial intelligence and machine learning, semiconductors, nanolithography, memory, and beyond-Moore functionality. The leadership team will analyze the potential of these focus areas to advance semiconductor technology and then refine the scope and scale of the initial use-inspired research topics to have the greatest technical and economic impact on the region. The semiconductor ecosystem can accelerate translation through integrative programs supporting the full cycle from business case development to business funding while offering cohesive services around entrepreneurship and translation to practice as critical components of the innovation engine. Working closely with diversity, equity, inclusion, and access partners, this project will expand its impact to increase underrepresented minority participation in STEM degree programs and professional careers. Collaborations with regional STEM outreach efforts, community colleges, and undergraduate/graduate programs will be leveraged to train a diverse advanced workforce. The NSF Development Award enables the project team to create a framework for an Engine by identifying the state of practice and existing gaps, determining use-inspired research directions, emphasizing translation to practice, expanding workforce growth, and creating a strategic plan that integrates diversity, equity, inclusion, and access and a culture of innovation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.