Academic innovation? See how the Micron Foundation can help

The University Relations program helps identify people and projects with the potential to transform industries. The Micron Foundation supports research opportunities at universities around the world by funding research projects that offer unique opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.

From self-driving vehicles to machine learning to cloud computing, Micron’s expertise is making today’s best ideas a reality. But how can we support tomorrow’s great ideas? The Micron Foundation works with the best minds in universities around the world to invest in people and projects that have the potential to transform the semiconductor industry.

Specifically, the Foundation's "University Relations" department has developed funding programs for student groups to provide unique hands-on opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students in semiconductor-related fields to cultivate future forces for the industry. These funding programs mainly include providing scholarships, supporting student competitions and participating in seminars. The Foundation also works hand in hand with educators to support ongoing research and improve engineering education through talent training. Many of them are inspired by Micron engineers and are committed to promoting the advancement of semiconductor materials, equipment and processes.

“Over the years, we’ve learned a lot from distributing funds and investing in programs at universities around the world. These insights are a great asset as we expand support to explore unique opportunities in new areas,” said Dee Mooney, executive director of the Micron Foundation. “In addition, the Foundation values ​​the input of our local leaders, who know their communities intimately. Education leaders are also valuable input, and they are the best partners for programs that align with our vision and focus areas.”

Unlike corporate research, foundation-funded research is not exclusive to Micron Technology and requires a broader focus. Because these projects are often more exploratory or fundamental, their findings can often benefit the entire industry or the entire technology field.

For example, some of the projects and initiatives that the Foundation currently supports for colleges and universities include:

George Mason University

As a strategic partner of the Micron Foundation, George Mason University provides research and training support in the field of big data for Micron employees. George Mason University will use its Micron Technology Foundation funding to support the advanced nanotechnology cleanroom located at the SCITECH campus in Manassas, Virginia.

Hiroshima University

Hiroshima University is using the Micron Foundation's funding to support its Global Science Campus, a program dedicated to developing high school science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent. The program was launched in 2015 with 250 Japanese high school students. After a test screening, 60 students entered the second stage, and only two students entered the final stage of the program. The two finalists participated in the NASA academic conference held in the United States in 2016. In addition to the donation, the Micron Foundation also donated a microgravity tool to the program to help support the research work of the two finalists.

Heidelberg University, Germany

Projects funded by the Micron Foundation often produce exciting developments and innovations that impact the world in a variety of positive ways. In 2014, the foundation provided research funding to the Computer Architecture Group at Heidelberg University in Germany to explore the field of next-generation memory technology, focusing on developing and supporting an open source memory controller and corresponding verification environment for the Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC).

In 2017, this research resulted in the open source/open HMC software, enabling a new generation of data scientists to participate in a project called the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). The SKA is an international collaboration to build the world's largest radio telescope. It requires data processing facilities and performance far beyond the current ones, and the amount of data generated is even greater than the current global Internet traffic.

The goal of every Micron Foundation support is to enable students to leave campus with the knowledge and background to advance their careers and be prepared to join the next wave of innovation.

These global gifts will grow and develop as the Foundation seeks more unique opportunities to fulfill its mission of getting students excited about STEM careers.

And it’s all about helping students reach their full potential.