WASHINGTON, D.C., July 29, 2023—U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, announced on Wednesday that the University of Washington will receive $10 million to help train more semiconductor industry workers as part of the U.S.-Japan University Partnership for Workforce Advancement and Research & Development in Semiconductors (UPWARDS) for the Future.
“Our nation’s success in advanced technologies depends on having a strong workforce,” said Sen. Cantwell. “This NSF award, led by the University of Washington, will help establish the Pacific Northwest as a leader in training the more than 90,000 students, faculty, and skilled professionals needed to build the most advanced chips right here in the United States. If we want to lead the world tomorrow, we must invest in worker training today.”
The grant was awarded through the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, which was authorized by Sen. Cantwell’s CHIPS & Science Act.
The U.S.-Japan University Partnership for Workforce Advancement and Research & Development in Semiconductors (UPWARDS) for the Future is a collaboration between six U.S. universities and five Japanese universities, working with industry partners, to provide advanced training and research opportunities that will grow the semiconductor workforce and help the U.S. and Japan build more of the semiconductors that both nations need.
UPWARDS activities will include targeted student exchange programs, professional certification opportunities, curriculum development, visiting faculty/researcher programs, and focused research projects.
Micron is the industry partner for UPWARDS.
The CHIPS & Science Act is a nearly $250 billion package of historic federal investments in American science and technology research, innovation and manufacturing. Sen. Cantwell was the architect of many of the act’s provisions and lead negotiator of its passage.
The Act established the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, which funded this grant and will invest $20 billion over five years to support pioneering research in technology areas critical to U.S. economic and national security leadership.
The Act also delivers $76 billion to develop the next generation of semiconductor technologies and to re-establish U.S. strengths in semiconductor manufacturing, which will support advanced military systems, U.S. manufacturing capabilities in the automotive sector, and American agriculture while helping to prevent future inflation.
SOURCE: Office of Sen. Maria Cantwell
