CRDO Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)

On September 24, 2025, NIST announced it is soliciting proposals from eligible applicants for research, prototyping, and commercial solutions that advance microelectronics technology in the U.S. to be considered for funding by the CHIPS Research and Development Office (CRDO). Proposals will grow U.S. leadership in semiconductor technology and accelerate the pace of commercialization to enable technology dominance in the industries of the future, in areas including advanced microelectronics research and development with a nexus to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum Technology, Biotechnology, Biomanufacturing, Commercialization of Innovation, and/or Standards Development. You can read the BAA here.

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. 

BAA Application Process:

• White Paper: White Papers are required and may be submitted at any time via grants.gov. CRDO will review White Paper submissions as soon as practicable after they are submitted. An initial review of White Papers will be conducted for eligibility, completeness, and responsiveness. White Papers deemed ineligible, incomplete, or nonresponsive will receive no further consideration. White Papers deemed eligible, complete, and responsive will be reviewed for (1) scientific and technical merit and (2) the potential contribution to national and economic security. White Papers with insufficient scientific and technical merit and/or relevance to national and economic security will not receive further review and will not be invited to submit a Pre-negotiation Package. However, CRDO may also provide technical feedback and request resubmission of White Papers.
• Pre-negotiation Package: Applicants whose White Papers are determined to have sufficient scientific and technical merit and potential contributions to national and economic security will be invited to submit a Pre-negotiation Package, which will include a detailed technical and cost proposal, and other required documents. Pre-negotiation Packages may only be submitted by entities that are invited to do so by CRDO. Pre-negotiation Packages submitted in the absence of a specific invitation will not be reviewed or evaluated in any way. Additional information will be provided to those invited to submit a Pre-negotiation Package.

Additional information regarding the Submission Instructions and Package Requirements and Administrative and National Policy Requirements for this BAA is available.