Opinions on How to Reduce the Decline Rate for SRC Proposals

1. Opinions on How to Reduce the Decline Rate for SRC Proposals Kenneth K. O December 3rd, 2012

2. Outline • SRC member benefits • Research topics • You must have good ideas that you want to pursue no matter what. • Campaign and finalizing proposal • Most of white papers and proposals are selected before the submission. • Conclusions

3. SRC Member Benefits • Research • Explore solution space member companies consider too risky • Solutions unknown to the member companies • Explore new application opportunities. • Resulting intellectual properties • Students who will eventually work for the SRC member companies

4. International Road Map for Semiconductors • Much of research needs are identified and documented. • The leading technologists of industry get together to project the technology needs for 15 years. • Technology has been advancing faster than the road map. • Recent years, there were slow downs. • Started in 1994 and have been updating every one to two years.

5. International Road Map for Semiconductors • Color coded to indicate whether there are known solutions/difficulties for meeting the needs. Red means there are no known solutions. • SRC companies like university researchers to work on problems that will need solutions in 3-5 years.

6. ITRS Grand Challenges • Every few years the working group for the international technology road map for semiconductor updates the grand challenges for the industry. • SRC proposals require identification of grand challenges being addressed.

7. Research Needs Document • Each call for white papers has a needs document that specifies the problems need to be addressed. • Proposed research should address one or multiple needs within the context of ITRS. • For instance, you should not propose to research an approach that will be limited by other constraints in the ITRS. • This is usually not an exclusive list.

8. Interaction with Companies • Nothing like interacting with member companies to really understand the needs and context. • Understand the solutions being considered. • Brainstorm with member companies on approaches that the companies are not currently considering. • More you do this, better your chances will be.

9. Campaign • There are more good ideas than SRC can fund. • Find champions for your research in the member companies: anyway you can!! • Potential people that can help: • Current and former colleagues • Collaborators • People you have interviewed with when you were looking for a job • Visitors from member companies • People you meet at conferences or while helping to organize meetings. • Friends from graduate school days • People you meet during company visits • Ph.D. advisor, Ph.D. committee members • Former students • Supervisors of former students • Parents of your children’s classmates

10. Campaign • Have a draft of white paper and a 5 slide presentation ready at least a month before the deadline. • Distribute them for suggestions from potential champions. • Let them help shape and improve, and own the white paper. You have champions. Don’t be defensive!! • They need to talk to their managers and SRC tab members in their company. • If selected for proposal, need to repeat the process.

11. Proposal and White Paper Format • White paper is usually limited to one page. (Context, Rationale, Novelty, Anticipated Results, Company Engagement, Funding, Students) • Proposals are limited to five pages. • Duration is 3 years. • Research catalog page. Funding requirement for each year, Anticipated results (50 words), Background (200 words), Research Description (300 words), Deliverables. • This has to be excellent.

12. Case Study I Task ID 453: Inter and Intra-Chip Clock Signal Distribution Using Microwave,September 1st , 1996- March 31st, 2001, Interconnect Science Saw the call for white papers a few days before the deadline. Submitted barely on time but got selected for a full proposal. Got the proposal ready well before the deadline. Sent to three people at three different member companies. HP: instructor for a short course that I help to organize. TI: friend from graduate school. IBM: working on the same contract from the Navy. Timing was the key.

13. Case Study II Task ID 1327: Feasibility of Implementing CMOS RF Front-End Circuits for 76-77 GHZ Radar Applications, July 1st 2005 to July 31st, 2008, Integrated Circuits and Systems Science Got the white paper ready well before the deadline. Sent to three people at three different companies. TI: Manager of former students. IBM: Former student and ICSS Tab member Freescale: Co-worker on the Bipolar Circuits and Technology Meeting. Got the proposal ready well before the deadline. Sent to the same people for their input. Full proposal was declined for funding. SRC members can direct research using some portion of their contribution. IBM, TI and Freescale agreed to contribute to fund this porject. Having the students at the member company were a key differentiator.

14. Case Study III Compact On‐Chip Vector Voltage and Current Measurement Circuits for Digital Assisted Optimization of Microwave and Millimeter wave Circuits Got the white paper ready well before the deadline. Sent to four people at four different companies (TI, Intel, IBM, Freescale) Got the proposal and slides ready well before the deadline. Sent to the same people for their input. Full proposal was declined for funding. Declined. Maybe I have failed to articulate the benefits or context? Perhaps, I have too much SRC funding already.

15. Conclusions • SRC proposal process is easier. • There are a lot of things you can do to improve your chances. • Like many funding agencies, once you are funded, it is easier. • Having your former students working with you is wonderful. • The key to reducing the decline rate is to increase interaction with the member companies. • Better proposal • Influence selection process • The proposal selection process is a human process. • Be ready to rebound and figure out different ways to get your research done either through SRC or other agencies.