Monash University Malaysia spin-out FirstChip wins inaugural MTDC-SemiconStart grant
- ID
- 2732
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 06 Jul 2026, 3:16 PM
- Fetched
- 06 Jul 2026, 3:55 PM
- Provider
- Digital News Asia
- Category
- malaysia-tech
- Original URL
- https://www.digitalnewsasia.com/startups/monash-university-malaysia-spin-out-firstchip-wins-inaugural-mtdc-semiconstart-grant
- Source URL
- https://www.digitalnewsasia.com/rss.xml
Summary
- Score
- 7.0
- Created
- 06 Jul 2026, 3:56 PM
- Tags
- Audience
- developersvibe_coderssaas_founders
What happened
Monash University Malaysia spin-out FirstChip has been selected as an inaugural recipient of the MTDC-SemiconStart grant, receiving up to US$235,000 to commercialize locally developed semiconductor IP. The company's core technology is a wirelessly powered sensor chip designed for industrial corrosion monitoring in sealed environments, built on patents developed through years of university research.
Why it matters
Signals a concrete national push to grow locally owned semiconductor IP in Malaysia, with grant money and accelerator support (via Silicon Catalyst UK) available for deep-tech hardware startups. For Malaysian builders and founders, it highlights a viable path from university research to commercialization and shows that government-backed funding exists for hardware innovation beyond software.
Discussion angle
What opportunities exist for Malaysian founders in deep-tech/hardware vs. the more common SaaS path, and how can university spin-outs access MTDC and similar commercialization programs?