The European Chips Act was introduced in 2023 to increase Europe's share of the semiconductor market and reduce its reliance on the global supply chain. By bolstering the competitiveness and resilience of the EU's semiconductor industry in addition to supporting both digital and green transitions, the Act aims to keep Europe at the forefront of technological development. As part of this goal, the Act's Chips for Europe Initiative has helped fund a Network of Competence Centres in Semiconductors across its member states  The Malta Semiconductors Competence Centre (MSCC), coordinated by Malta Enterprise, has been set up as part of this Network.

The University Semiconductors Competence Centre (USCC) has been established as an academic entity of the University of Malta to officially partner with the MSCC on behalf of the University and manage the related activities and developments. 

The objectives of the USCC are:

• to support the growth and development of fabless chip design activity in Malta; 
• to address skill shortages in the area of fabless chip design, by providing online courses in the fields of integrated circuits, MEMS, microsystems, and IoT systems. The courses are intended for both engineers and scientists and will include lectures along with practical training in the use of EDA tools and other relevant simulation packages;
• to support the semiconductor industry, both locally and throughout the EU, with technical expertise that is within the Centre’s areas of specialisation;
• to support small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) in producing research proposals related to the field of semiconductors;
• to provide technical consultancy in the area of semiconductors to address challenges being experienced by specific companies;
• to support local SMEs and other companies in developing semiconductor solutions;
• to provide both start-ups and large-scale enterprises with access to relevant specialised laboratory equipment at the University;
• to facilitate access to the European design platform and to pilot lines, through the MSCC;
• to facilitate access of local stakeholders to the European Network of Competence Centres in Semiconductors;
• to support the MSCC by raising awareness of its services and promoting success stories in the area of chip design.