Imec Taiwan today signed the co-funding contract with the Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) for its R+D activity Imec Taiwan Innovation Centre (ITIC). ITIC’s goal is to expedite applied research projects with industry and academia that will result in electronic designs, components and technology solutions. The new R+D centre will focus on a variety of innovative applications in bioelectronics, MEMS and “green” electronics that are enabled through 3D system-package co-design and system-level evaluation.
The worldwide impact of the Taiwanese semiconductor and consumer electronics industry is unequivocal, and there is an increasing intention of the stakeholders to move up the value chain by entering key innovation areas. Consequently, Taiwan is an important market for a nanoelectronics R+D centre such as imec. ITIC, being imec’s local R+D centre in Taiwan, will facilitate and intensify the collaboration between imec and the Taiwanese industry and academia. The business plan for ITIC forecasts a growth of its research staff to 40+ over 3 years. ITIC is launched with the signing today of an agreement between imec Taiwan and the Institute for Information Industry (III) on behalf of the Taiwanese MOEA. ITIC is financed by imec Taiwan and will be co-funded by the Taiwanese MOEA as a “Multinational Innovative R+D Centre” under MOEA subsidy for the Project of Encouraging Foreign Enterprise Establishing Research and Development Center in Taiwan.
“The creation of ITIC, two years after having established a representation office in Hsinchu, Taiwan, is essential in our continued efforts to create value for our current and future partners in Taiwan, to leverage our global partnerships, and to actively interact with the Taiwanese ecosystem,” said Luc Van den hove, CEO and President of imec and member of the Board of imec Taiwan. “An R+D initiative such as ITIC will intensify imec’s interaction with the local semiconductor and system-level companies and academia.”
“As a semiconductor innovative applications centre, ITIC will support the upward shift in Taiwan’s technology value chain and contribute to the realization of Taiwan’s strategic Innovation Plan. It will accelerate open innovation that will result in locally owned IP in the area of intelligent electronics,” says Jung-Chiou Hwang, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs. “The presence of ITIC - the local branch of the world-famous R+D centre imec - will improve Taiwan’s position against its peers in Asia, and result in attracting more European companies to invest in Taiwan. “
Imec performs world-leading research in nanoelectronics. Imec leverages its scientific knowledge with the innovative power of its global partnerships in ICT, healthcare and energy. Imec delivers industry-relevant technology solutions. In a unique high-tech environment, its international top talent is committed to providing the building blocks for a better life in a sustainable society. Imec is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and has offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, Taiwan, US, China and Japan. Its staff of more than 1,750 people includes over 550 industrial residents and guest researchers. In 2009, imec's revenue (P+L) was 275 million euro