Frequently Asked Questions: Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)

The CHIPS Act (15 U.S.C. § 4656(c)(2)(B)) directs the Department to establish and capitalize an investment fund, in partnership with the private sector, to support startups and collaborations between startups, academia, established companies, and new ventures, with the goal of commercializing innovations that contribute to the domestic semiconductor ecosystem, including:

(i) advanced metrology and characterization for manufacturing of microchips using 3 nanometer transistor processes or more advanced processes; and
(ii) metrology for security and supply chain verification.

Per BAA Section I, CRDO may use the Investment Fund to make awards that are investments in companies, rather than funding specific scientific research and development projects.  CRDO’s objective is to invest in companies that conduct research and prototyping activities, with the goal of eventually commercializing products and services that strengthen the economic competitiveness and security of the domestic semiconductor ecosystem and supply chain.

CRDO evaluates White Papers based upon the factors articulated in section V of the revised BAA, and may invite BAA applicants to proceed down the R&D Path or the Investment Fund Path.  White Papers under consideration for the R&D Path are reviewed based on the criteria in section V.1 of the BAA, including whether they have scientific and technical merit and are relevant to national and economic security.  If so, they may be invited to submit a Pre-Negotiation Package.

White papers under consideration for the Investment Fund Path are reviewed based upon the criteria in section V.2 of the BAA, including whether a direct investment in the applicant would be more effective in spurring innovation in the semiconductor ecosystem and whether the investment will support collaborations between startups, academia, established companies, or new ventures. CRDO may request additional information from an applicant after the White Paper submission in order to determine the preferred path.
 

Yes. The evaluation criteria for each path are outlined in Section V of the BAA. 

All applicants eligible for the BAA are considered eligible for the Investment Fund Path or the R&D Project Path. 

Yes, all applicants must submit a White Paper to the CRDO BAA and follow the BAA submission instructions and package requirements. 

No. The White Paper submission process is the same for the R&D Project Path and the Investment Fund Path.  CRDO will, in its discretion, determine whether an application should be considered for the R&D Path or the Investment Fund Path based upon the evaluation of the White Paper. 

Yes. White Papers that have received a rejection email may re-apply with a modified White Paper and will be considered for the R&D Project path and the Investment Fund path. Applicant organizations may submit more than one White Paper, provided that each White Paper represents a technically distinct project. CRDO will not accept duplicate or overlapping White Papers from a single organization.

No. If an applicant received technical feedback from CRDO on their White Paper, they may incorporate the feedback and resubmit their White Paper. The White Paper will be considered for both the R&D Path and the Investment Fund Path.

To access more information regarding submission instructions and package requirements, click here. The link includes instructions for the R&D path and the Investment Fund Path, with common section at the end.

CRDO will review and evaluate whether previously submitted applications should be considered for the R&D Project Path or the Investment Fund Path.  For those White Papers that are selected to proceed in the application process, CRDO will communicate to the applicant whether they are being invited to submit an R&D Project Path Pre-negotiation Package or an Investment Fund Path Application.

CRDO will review applications previously invited to submit a PNP to determine whether those applications should be considered for the Investment Fund Path. If CRDO determines an applicant is better suited for the Investment Fund Path, that applicant will receive a new invitation to submit an Investment Fund Path Application. If a previously invited applicant does not receive a new invitation, that application will continue as invited on the R&D Project Path.

Yes. In this instance, applicants may choose either the R&D Project Path or the Investment Fund Path. Invitations given prior to the establishment of the Investment Fund will not be rescinded if an applicant chooses to stay on their preferred path. CRDO retains discretion on whether to proceed with an award and on what terms.

No. CRDO, at its discretion, will determine the path through which it will consider the application. An applicant may withdraw their application if the offered path is not suitable.

No. The total available funding for the CRDO BAA has not changed. The Investment Fund is a portion of the total CRDO budget and funding amounts will be determined by the Department of Commerce. 

No. Per the BAA, funding requests must be at least $10 million. The total funding provided will be dependent on the project scope and available funds. 

Yes. The OT agreement requirements will be different depending on the project path. However, CRDO anticipates that awards made pursuant to either path will have a ROI component. Terms and conditions will be negotiated with the applicant on an individual award basis. 

Per BAA Section II, as a condition of receiving an award, applicants may be required to issue to the Department equity, warrants, licenses to intellectual property, royalties or revenue sharing, or other such instruments as may be required to ensure a return on investment to the Government. This applies to both BAA paths.  

All awards made under the BAA – irrespective of the path – will be Other Transaction Agreements. 

Yes. The BAA is the funding announcement that permits CRDO to make awards through the Investment Fund. Applications may be considered for both paths until the BAA has closed.

A submission under this BAA consists of a mandatory White Paper and, if invited, a mandatory Pre-negotiation Process. Only those applicants invited to submit a Pre-negotiation Package (after the submission of a White Paper) may submit a Pre-negotiation Package.

White Papers will only be accepted through Grants.gov. Please note that an active SAM.gov registration is required to submit application materials through Grants.gov. 

Applicant organizations may submit more than one White Paper, provided that each White Paper represents a technically distinct project. CRDO will not accept duplicate or overlapping White Papers from a single organization.

Applicant organizations that will be submitting multiple white papers must make separate submissions for each white paper. Applicants must follow all requirements in this document, including naming conventions, for each submission. Applicants should not deviate from these instructions when submitting multiple distinct White Papers.

White Papers are required. Only those applicants invited to submit a Pre-negotiation Package (after the submission of a White Paper) may submit a Pre-negotiation Package.  Pre-negotiation Packages submitted in the absence of a specific invitation will not be reviewed or evaluated in any way.

Submissions will be accepted until September 30, 2029, unless the BAA is amended to add an earlier closing date. All submissions will be considered on a rolling basis as they are received.

Before the end of October 2025, CRDO will host an informational webinar to provide general information regarding this BAA, offer general guidance on preparing White Papers and if invited, Pre-negotiation Packages, and answer questions submitted in advance. Proprietary technical discussions about specific project ideas will not be permitted during the webinar. However, questions about this funding opportunity, eligibility requirements, evaluation and award criteria, selection process, and the general characteristics of a meritorious application will be addressed during the webinar and by e-mail for inquiries sent to research [at] chips.gov (research[at]chips[dot]gov) with “2025-NIST-CHIPS-CRDO-01 Questions” in the subject line. 

There is no cost to attend the webinar, but participants must register in advance. Participation in the webinar is not required and will not be considered in the review and selection process. Additional information can be found at http://www.nist.gov/chips/crdo-broad-agency-announcement-baa as it becomes available.

After the review of a White Paper, CRDO may provide technical feedback and request resubmission of White Papers.

This funding opportunity will result in the award of other transaction agreements, in accordance with 15 U.S.C. § 4659(a)(1).

The number of awards is contingent upon the availability of funds and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious proposals. Project budgets should be at least $10 million and need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project. All funding considerations are based on the availability of funds.

Cost sharing, as defined in 2 CFR § 200.1, is not required for all awards made under this BAA. However, CRDO may choose to fund only a portion of a project’s total costs, contingent on the recipient demonstrating it has access to sufficient funding to complete the project.

As a condition of receiving an award, applicants may be required to issue to the Department equity, warrants, licenses to intellectual property, royalties or revenue sharing, or other such instruments to ensure a return on investment to the Government.

Eligible applicants are for-profit organizations; non-profit organizations; accredited institutions of higher education; Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), and Federal entities (e.g., Federal departments and agencies – see Section III.3). Eligible applicants must be a domestic entity. Individuals and unincorporated sole proprietors are not eligible to receive funding under this BAA. Eligible subawardees include all eligible applicants as well as foreign partners not otherwise prohibited (e.g., foreign adversaries), subject to compliance with specific requirements (see Section VI). CRDO strongly recommends that Federal entities and FFRDCs seeking to respond to this BAA as an applicant first contact the CRDO POC to discuss eligibility; in areas of mutual interest, alternative funding mechanisms may be pursued independent of this BAA.

For the purposes of this BAA, a domestic entity is an entity (a) organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States and (b) having a principal place of business in the United States. The principal place of business generally means the place where an entity’s officers direct, control, and coordinate the entity’s activities. A foreign adversary cannot be considered a domestic entity.

On Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at 2 PM ET, the CHIPS R&D Office (CRDO) will host a pre-recorded, virtual webinar regarding the recently released Broad Agency Announcement. Registration and additional information can be found online here.

This informational webinar will provide general information regarding the CRDO Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) published on September 24, 2025. It will offer general guidance on preparing White Papers and if invited, Pre-negotiation Packages, and answer questions submitted in advance. Proprietary technical discussions about specific project ideas will not be permitted during the webinar. There is no cost to attend the webinar, but participants must register in advance. Participation in the webinar is not required and will not be considered in the review and selection process.

Questions about this funding opportunity, eligibility requirements, evaluation and award criteria, selection process, and the general characteristics of a meritorious application will be addressed during the webinar. Inquiries should be sent by email to research [at] chips.gov (research[at]chips[dot]gov) with “2025-NIST-CHIPS-CRDO-01 Questions” in the subject line no later than October 2, 2025, in order to be addressed during the webinar, as time allows. Questions sent by email to research [at] chips.gov (research[at]chips[dot]gov) with “2025-NIST-CHIPS-CRDO-01 Questions” in the subject line after this date will be answered by email and added to the BAA Frequently Asked Questions page.

To request a meeting with CHIPS R&D staff, please submit a request via https://askchips.chips.gov/.

Questions about this BAA should be sent to research [at] chips.gov (research[at]chips[dot]gov) with “2025-NIST-CHIPS-CRDO-01 Questions” in the subject line.

For technical assistance with Grants.gov, email support [at] grants.gov (support[at]grants[dot]gov) or call 800-518-4726.