Czech Semiconductor Centre has been launched in Brno

(Press Release, Brno, Czech Republic, 7 April 2025) The Czech Republic has taken a strategic step to strengthen its position in the semiconductor sector. The newly established Czech Semiconductor Centre (CSC) in Brno will connect academia with industry, promote innovation and facilitate chip development for small and start-up companies. It will offer mentoring, financial advice and access to pilot lines, therefore contributing to the development of the semiconductor ecosystem in the Czech Republic. It will also become part of a European network of centres that aim to enhance Europe's technological self-sufficiency.

The launch represents a key step for the Czech and European semiconductor sector. The establishment of the centre fulfills the goals of the National Semiconductor Strategy, which was created in response to the need to strengthen European and Czech self-sufficiency in the chip sector under the leadership of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in cooperation with the Government Office and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. Its objective is, among other things, to build a national competence centre and increase the number of experts, which the CSC will significantly facilitate. The launch of the CSC is supported by the European initiative "Chips for Europe", which aims to strengthen technological capacity and promote innovation within the area of design and production of advanced chips, and thereby contributes to achieving the EU-wide goals outlined in the European Chips Act.

"The launch of the Czech Semiconductor Centre is a strategic step for the future of our country. It is a key project that will help the Czech Republic maintain its competitiveness, security and technological sovereignty in a time of global struggle for these values. Thanks to this, the Czech Republic has all the prerequisites to play in the European league in this key sector," said Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

"The establishment of the Czech Semiconductor Centre is the product of the consistent efforts of the members of the founding consortium, which took more than a year and a half. During this time, it was necessary to carefully shape the focus of the Centre into areas in which the Czech semiconductor industry has the potential to successfully compete not only on a European but also on a global scale. It has been possible to focus, integrate and align the interests of all those involved in the Czech semiconductor industry on the platform of the National Semiconductor Cluster. This applies to the industry, state administration, regions, and universities, which have a difficult task – to ensure sufficient manpower capacity for the Czech semiconductor industry through their graduates, which the BUT is actively working on, for example through the opening of specialised study programmes," said Ladislav Janíček, Rector of Brno University of Technology.

The BUT, which considers semiconductors to be its important strategic area, coordinated the preparation of the Czech Semiconductor Centre and will also serve as its headquarters for some time. "I greatly appreciate the constructive cooperation between the members of the consortium that surrounded the birth of the centre and the support that the idea of establishing the centre received from the political representatives as well as the regions – particularly the South Moravian Region. I am very pleased that the concept of the centre, which we are launching today, is not just an ordinary compromise, but a true reflection of the expert potential and competence that we have in our country in the field of semiconductors. The Centre therefore has a real opportunity to contribute to the strengthening of competitiveness of the Czech economy in this sector and to support the achievement of the objectives of the recently adopted National Semiconductor Strategy. The Strategy was developed in parallel with the preparation of the Centre with significant input from the members of its founding consortium. I would like our country to succeed in implementing projects based primarily on expertise and competence on the way to a value-added economy based on knowledge and innovation as I believe it has been done in the case of the Czech Semiconductor Centre," added Ladislav Janíček.

The Czech Semiconductor Centre consists of a six-member consortium, which includes the two largest Czech technical universities – BUT and CTU, the companies onsemi and Codasip, the National Semiconductor Cluster (CNSC) and the innovation agency JIC. The financing of the centre for the first four years of its operation is provided by the Chips for Europe initiative and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic. "The Ministry of Education supports the research and education in the field of semiconductor technologies. We have also supported the establishment of the Czech Semiconductor Centre financially as we see it as an important step towards increasing the Czech Republic's competitiveness in not only the semiconductor sector, but also in other key digital technologies. I believe that this support will strengthen cooperation between academia and industry and will contribute to a stronger position of the Czech Republic in the European arena," added Mikuláš Bek, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports.

The Centre integrates the Czech Republic into the emerging European network of competence centres. Similar competence centres will be established in all EU member states and will play a key role in supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in the field of semiconductor technologies. The Czech Semiconductor Centre will actively collaborate with other European competence centres, as confirmed by the Joint Declaration on Competence Centres for Semiconductors issued by the Silicon Europe Alliance.

"I consider the launch of the Czech Semiconductor Centre a key step towards enhancing Europe's strategic independence. The Covid-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated how vulnerable our economy can be when supplies from Asia are interrupted, disrupting entire supply chains. It is therefore essential to cultivate our own capacities and deepen collaboration between European countries. Equally important is intense cooperation with democratic partners and global leaders beyond the EU, such as the US, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan, where we dedicated considerable efforts to strengthening relations. I believe that this project will significantly contribute to making the Czech Republic a preferred partner for research and innovation in this strategically important area," commented Marek Ženíšek, Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, on the opening of the centre.

The competence centre will provide qualified services in accordance with the requirements of the Chips for Europe act in the area of chip design, especially for start-ups and small companies. It will provide private companies with mentoring, financial advice, access to pilot lines and a pan-European design platform. This will allow companies to develop new products faster and cheaper, facilitate testing and enable small-scale production.

Romano Hoffman, IMEC, head of the Design Platform consortium said, "I would like to congratulate the distinguished members of the CNSC on the launch of the CSC, I am very excited to see the creation of many synergies between the CSC, the cluster and the Design Platform. We will work together to grow the European fabless design community."

The CNSC is involved in the National Semiconductor Strategy, the development of the country's semiconductor ecosystem and its globalization and is part of Silicon Europe, semi.org. "The efforts by prominent members of CTU, BUT, Codasip, onsemi and other cluster members to leverage Pillar I. EU ChipsAct to strengthen the position of the Czech Republic in the field of chip design and to remove current barriers are crowned with success – the significant participation of the Czech Republic in the architecture of the pan-European design platform and the coordination of the European network of competence centres that CSC is part of. We see Pillar I as a great opportunity for further globalization of cooperation not only for all cluster members, but also for the successful implementation of the objectives of the National Semiconductor Strategy," remarked Stanislav Černý, President of CNSC.

JIC (South Moravian Innovation Centre) is bringing its experience in the development of the innovation ecosystem to the Czech Semiconductor Centre. "We have helped write the success stories of such companies as Dynanic and Nenovision in the industry and now we want to support the creation of at least six new semiconductor startups, help companies attract investment for their development and facilitate knowledge transfer from universities. We consider this approach to be the key to strengthening the competitiveness of the Czech Republic and Europe in the semiconductor industry," noted Petr Chládek, Director of the innovation agency JIC.

Another key role of the centre is to provide qualified personnel for the semiconductor sector. The Centre will therefore focus on expanding and improving the range of educational programmes in the field of chip design and production, deepening cooperation between universities and private companies, fostering talent and attracting new students to microelectronics and related fields. In this area, the Centre will work closely with BUT and CTU, whose role is to provide education in semiconductor and chip design in order to substantially strengthen the human resource capacity for the semiconductor industry in the Czech Republic.

"Semiconductors and chips are a very important and relevant technology. CTU is developing its efforts in this field both internationally and in the Czech Republic, and we see the training of experts for the semiconductor industry as one of our fundamental tasks," said CTU Rector Vojtěch Petráček. "The Czech Republic has excellent prerequisites to be an important European partner in this sector. High-quality research and the presence of world leaders in the field of semiconductors, such as onsemi and Codasip, provide us with the best opportunities to achieve this," added CTU Vice Rector Radek Holý.

The specific focus of the centre is based on the existing specialization of the leading players in the semiconductor industry in the Czech Republic, and its profile is reflected in the unique position of onsemi, the largest semiconductor manufacturer in the Czech Republic, and Codasip, a leading developer of semiconductor design applications. "At onsemi, we are aware that the deepening of cooperation between industry and universities and research institutions not only makes sense, but is a literal necessity in today's modern world. It is vital to show young people that technology and innovation are the engine of further development in the Czech Republic and to offer them quality technical education, which is the best investment in their own future. We have been working closely with universities for decades and we are prepared to continue to support their further development, for example by involving our experts in the development of new fields of study and in teaching itself," stated Aleš Cáb, Vice President of onsemi. “As global demand for semiconductors rises, the EU must lead in this critical sector to ensure technological sovereignty, economic growth, and national security. By investing in research, development, and partnerships, Czechia can help reduce reliance on external suppliers and set a global standard for innovation. As a leading RISC-V supplier, Codasip will be a strong contributor to the success of the center,” added Karel Masařík, founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Codasip, who has been selected as the Centre's Director.

Another key sector closely tied to semiconductor development is the automotive industry. "Semiconductors are crucial for the future of the automotive industry – for Škoda, the Czech Republic, and the whole European market. The new Czech Semiconductor Center and its strategic collaboration between academia, industry, and government will enhance technological capabilities and foster automotive excellence through education, research, and development. As an industry representative, I look forward to the innovative solutions that will drive us towards a smarter and more connected future,“ said Karsten Schnake, Member of the Board – Procurement, Škoda Auto.


Source: vut.cz/en

 

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Responsible person	Ing. et Ing. arch. Jana Němcová
Date of publication	07.04.2025