MICROCRAFT Joins EPSRC eFutures Network+ Workshop to Shape the Future of UK Semiconductor Prototyping

April 2026 – MICROCRAFT recently participated in the EPSRC eFutures Network+ prototyping workshop held in Birmingham on 24 April 2026, joining academics and industry experts from across the UK to help shape the future of semiconductor prototyping infrastructure. The event was commissioned by EPSRC as part of a national scoping study, building on the Semiconductor R&D: The UK Academic Landscape Report to identify gaps in capability and feed into a White Paper and Statement of Need for UK Research and Innovation.

The workshop brought together a diverse community of stakeholders through interactive sessions, including a forward-looking exercise in which groups designed a “2040 advert” for a chips pilot line. Several consistent themes emerged from the day: the importance of connected, national-scale infrastructure; better integration across advanced materials, devices, and applications; clear and accessible pathways from prototype to pilot to production; and the need for sustainable, long-term planning. These discussions reinforced what the semiconductor community has long recognised that fragmented, siloed facilities are insufficient to keep the UK competitive.

The conversations at the workshop made one thing abundantly clear: there is a compelling and urgent need for exactly the kind of facility that MICROCRAFT offers. As a hub based at the University of Southampton, MICROCRAFT is uniquely positioned to deliver on the national priorities identified, providing integrated capability spanning prototyping, device design, advanced integration, and specialist training. We look forward to contributing our evidence and expertise to the eFutures White Paper, and to working with UKRI and the broader ecosystem to build the coordinated, world-class semiconductor infrastructure that UK plc needs.