Call for expressions of interest IPCEI on Advanced Semiconductor Technologies (AST)

As part of the Austria 2035 Industrial Strategy, the Austrian Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to participating in Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI). Against this backdrop, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy, and Tourism (BMWET) launched a Call for expressions of interest for a potential Important Project of Common European Interest on Advanced Semiconductor Technologies (IPCEI AST) on January 26, 2026. The BMWET is thus offering interested companies in Austria the opportunity to submit their project outlines. The call for expressions of interest serves to transparently evaluate the overall national potential as well as the specific contribution of individual companies. (Further information and registration for the information webinar on February 2, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.).

The European Union has launched a unique regulatory instrument to strengthen strategically important European value chains - the IPCEI. The objective is to promote transnational cooperation ranging from development and innovation to first-time industrial implementation, as well as key infrastructure projects in the environmental, energy, and transport sectors through state aid (for further information please refer to the website of the BMLUK).

Initiatives under the IPCEI are focused on strategically significant projects in which a limited number of companies or research institutions may take part after being nominated by participating member states of the European Union or states of the European Economic Area and being notified by the European Commission or the EFTA Surveillance Authority. Consequently, these individual projects are usually supported by the respective Member State with state aid outside GBER (General Block Exemption Regulation).

Austria is currently participating in four initiatives of common European interest with a total of nineteen corporate projects – in the fields of

1. microelectronics (ME),
2. batteries (EUBatIn),
3. hydrogen with a focus on technology development (Hy2Tech),
4. and microelectronics and communication technology (Me/CT).

The Hy2Tech and ME/CT initiatives are part of the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).

On behalf of the BMIMI (Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility, and Infrastructure) and the BMWET (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy, and Tourism), aws, in cooperation with the FFG (Austrian Research Promotion Agency), handles IPCEI funding for Austrian companies as a joint implementing body. In addition, the joint implementing body is involved in the national program development and strategy process, the national decision on the formation of and participation in new IPCEI initiatives, and advising companies in the course of notification by the European Commission.

For Austrian companies, participation in an IPCEI generally begins with the submission of a project outline in connection with an Austrian call for expressions of interest (see IPCEI-FAQ).