Coordinated by Grenoble INP – UGA, the European ICOS project is concluding after three years of work devoted to international cooperation in semiconductors. Its recommendations are helping to strengthen Europe’s position in a strategic sector dominated by Asia and the United States.
The global semiconductor crisis highlighted just how essential these components have become to the digital economy, from the automotive industry to artificial intelligence. It also exposed Europe’s dependence on global supply chains dominated by Asia and the United States.
Against this backdrop, the European ICOS project—International Cooperation on Semiconductors—was funded by the Horizon Europe programme to identify and structure the most promising international partnerships in this strategic field. Coordinated by Grenoble INP – UGA, the three-year project brought together a broad consortium of European companies, research centres and universities. Its ambition was to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of microelectronics ecosystems worldwide in order to identify complementarities and opportunities for European cooperation.
The project partners conducted an in-depth study of the semiconductor ecosystems of seven key countries: the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and India. Additional analyses were also carried out on Canada and Malaysia. This work produced a detailed map of these countries’ industrial, scientific and technological capabilities, as well as their respective positions within the semiconductor value chain.
On this basis, ICOS identified areas in which international cooperation could help Europe strengthen its position, particularly in emerging technologies and advanced computing architectures, sensors, power electronics, photonics, heterogeneous integration and advanced packaging.
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To turn these analyses into tangible collaborations, the project organised 24 bilateral and multilateral workshops bringing together researchers, industry representatives and institutions from several regions of the world, including Japan, South Korea, India, Singapore and the United States.
Organised in close collaboration with the European Commission, these meetings helped inform the technological partnerships developed by the European Union through its Digital Partnerships and Trade and Technology Councils. These frameworks aim to structure cooperation with countries that share similar innovation objectives. Joint research projects co-funded by Horizon Europe and partner countries have already been launched following the bilateral workshops organised by ICOS. The project’s findings now provide the European Commission with strategic recommendations to guide future research and innovation partnerships in semiconductors.
Beyond identifying new avenues for cooperation, the project emphasises that international collaboration is essential if Europe is to translate its scientific excellence into industrial leadership. “International cooperation is crucial to building balanced partnerships with like-minded countries and strengthening Europe’s position in global semiconductor value chains,” says Francis Balestra, CNRS Research Director at the CROMA laboratory* and ICOS project coordinator for Grenoble INP – UGA.
ICOS therefore contributes directly to the objectives of the European Chips Act, which seeks to strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty and the resilience of its supply chains and economy.
Amid constant geopolitical and technological change, the results of ICOS provide a strategic foundation for future cooperation. A follow-up initiative, ICOS2, was launched in summer 2026 to build on this work and continue structuring international partnerships in the semiconductor sector.
* Centre for Radiofrequency, Optics and Micro-Nanoelectronics in the Alps (CNRS / UGA / Grenoble INP – UGA / USMB)
