Micron Technology, Inc. and the Micron Foundation, along with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, have announced a new partnership with the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), committing to a joint investment of $10 million to fund and develop semiconductor curricula in colleges and universities across the country.
NSF will match the Micron Foundation’s initial donation of $5 million over the next five years, enabling the development of high-quality educational material, offering educators options for professional development and providing students with experiential opportunities in the semiconductor industry. Micron and NSF will work together to direct the funds towards these programs and towards innovative academic research in the high technology memory field.
Broadening access to and strengthening the quality of semiconductor instruction in U.S. higher education institutions will help to expand and diversify not only America’s semiconductor industry, but also the workforce of the future.
“This new cross-sector partnership will help American innovation keep pace with a changing global innovation landscape,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “The historic passage of the “CHIPS and Science Act,” is allowing NSF to help keep American technology innovation on the cutting edge and ensure cutting-edge industries are made in America.”
“Working together, the business community, academia and the public sector can create new pathways to careers for students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds,” said April Arnzen, Micron’s chief people officer and president of the Micron Foundation. “We’re looking forward to growing our partnership with NSF and reaching students across America – whether they’re enrolled at a minority-serving institution, research university or community college – as they advance America’s technological leadership and scientific innovation.”
“When I wrote my Endless Frontier Act which eventually became the CHIPS and Science bill, it was innovative partnerships between companies like Micron and the National Science Foundation that I had top of mind,” said Senator Schumer. “We are bringing together the best and the brightest, and programs like this are how we breathe new life into our nation’s manufacturing future and prepare the next generation with the skills and education they need to take us into tomorrow. This investment will help ensure America remains on the cutting-edge of new innovations and that our workforce is ready for the good-paying jobs building our future in the communities that need them most, including Upstate NY, and I am proud to have paved the way to make it happen.”
Micron’s NSF partnership closely follows Micron’s recently announced historic $500 million investment, in partnership with the state of New York, in community and workforce development. Aimed at expanding and preparing Central New York’s workforce for Micron’s new leading-edge memory megafab, which will be built in Clay, New York, the fund will be used for workforce training, education programs, housing and other community investments. Micron aims to hire a diverse workforce in the region, and to accelerate economic opportunity for underserved communities in the semiconductor industry.