Program Goal and Objectives
“Inspiring New Students to Pursue Integrated Circuits Regional Education (INSPIRE)” supports IEEE SSCS Chapters in organizing flexible outreach and inspiration activities to encourage young students to pursue studies and careers in integrated circuits.
The program enables SSCS Chapters to propose and implement innovative outreach initiatives tailored to their local educational contexts.
These activities are expected to instill students’ interest, understanding, and confidence in electronic circuitry concepts while promoting the visibility and engagement of IEEE and SSCS among students and industry and academic professionals.
Scope of Supported Activities
Chapters are encouraged to be creative and design innovative, hands-on, and locally adapted initiatives. Chapters are responsible for coordinating all required logistics.Examples of supported activities include, but are not limited to:
2.1. Speaker-based inspiration
The invited speaker – preferably a member of IEEE SSCS – is chosen by the Chapter and comes from academia or industry with well-established experience in IC technology.
The talk (or seminar) should include high-level technical concepts that can be understood with basic scientific knowledge and may include a personal success story to inspire. It should also highlight future potential and career opportunities enabled by IC technologies.
Talks must be age-appropriate and may be delivered in any language that is most comfortable for the audience.
The target audience may include undergraduate, high school, or younger students. Attendees under 18 years old should be supervised by parents, guardians, or authorized adults (e.g., teachers).
2.2. Educational outreach and hands-on activities
Visits to pre-university institutions to introduce:
- Circuit concepts and electronics,
- Integrated circuits and their impact on everyday applications,
- Applications with examples (e.g., communication, healthcare, and energy),
- Workshop to design PCB using open-source software (e.g., OnBoard),
- IEEE and SSCS mission and activities.
Distribution of educational kits and electronic components, coordinated with teachers.
Development of hands-on laboratory experiments to reinforce understanding of circuit concepts.
Activities promoting long-term use of hardware and sustainability within partner institutions.
2.3. Teacher training and workshops
Select highly motivated instructors to participate in tailored training workshops. These instructors will serve as local champions, mentoring students and sustaining program continuity in their schools. Workshops can include:
- Circuit concepts and experiments to independently run labs and mentor students,
- Practical use of the provided hardware,
- Updates on modern electronics and integrated systems,
- Formation of teacher peer networks.
2.4. Other possible outreach activities
- Open-lab visits or guided school tours.
- Mini-projects or circuit design challenges.
- Mentoring schemes pairing students with undergraduate or Chapter volunteers.
- Inclusion of a hybrid session for broader reach.
- Development of reusable educational content (manuals, videos, worksheets).
2.5. Outreach beyond regional coverage by SSCS Chapters
SSCS Chapters are encouraged to extend their outreach activities beyond their immediate regions, particularly to locations not currently served by an active SSCS Chapter. In such regions, the absence of a local Chapter may limit access to SSCS outreach and inspiration programs, as well as exposure to integrated circuits education. Proposals that demonstrate efforts to broaden geographical reach and improve access to SSCS educational initiatives are encouraged.
Funding Support
Funding per approved proposal is a maximum of USD $1,500. Funding is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis until the allocated program budget is exhausted.
Early submission is strongly encouraged. Proposals requiring more than USD $1,500 will be considered, but funds beyond USD $1,500 must come from the existing chapter budget or other sources (e.g., industrial sponsorship).
The proposed INSPIRE activity must take place by October 31, 2026.
Proposals submitted after June 30, 2026, will not be considered.
Proposal Submission
Proposals may only be submitted by active IEEE SSCS Chapters (SSCS-only, joint, and student branch chapters). Collaboration with schools, teachers, and educational institutions is strongly encouraged to maximize impact.
Submissions will be through Smartsheet (link to be provided). The following details are required:
- Chapter detailed information
- Name and contact of submitter
- Name and contact of Chapter Chair
- Name and contact of Faculty Advisor (Student Branch Chapters only)
- Description of proposed activities and target audience
- Educational objectives and expected outcomes
- Implementation plan and timeline
- Details of estimated budget (anticipated use of funds)
- Requested subsidy (max USD $1,500)
- Follow-up plans after the event
Should the Chapter encounter a delay, rescheduling, or cancellation of plans, the Chapter must immediately notify the Program Chair and SSCS staff. Failure to comply will result in Chapter ineligibility to receive future Chapter subsidy.
Proposal Evaluation and Chapter Notification
The submitted proposal will be evaluated based on the following factors:
- Alignment with SSCS educational and outreach objectives
- Technical relevance
- Expected impact on students and teachers
- Feasibility, clarity, and completeness of the planned activities
- Budget appropriateness and resource utilization
- Sustainability and potential for replication
Chapters will be notified within a maximum of 2 weeks of submission whether their proposal is approved.
Chapter Reporting Requirements
Successful chapters must do the following for their INSPIRE activity:
- Advance promotion and announcement (e.g., email, vTools events, social media) at least four weeks ahead of the event. The event must explicitly mention the sponsorship or support from IEEE and SSCS.
- After the event, the Chapter is required to submit the following no later than 30 days after the event:
- A report on vTools – basic Chapter requirement for all activities.
- A short SmartSheet report (link to be provided) and preferably a link to a short video (max 2 minutes) documenting the event. This report must also include all itemized receipts of the incurred expenses.
- An article for the Solid-State Circuits Magazine submitted – limit of 350 words and 2 photos.
Expense reports requesting reimbursement (preferably through Concur) must be submitted no later than 30 days after the event – NO EXCEPTIONS!
Speakers requesting travel reimbursement must submit an expense report through Concur.
Failure to comply with reporting requirements will result in Chapter ineligibility to receive future Chapter subsidy.