European Proposal Calls for Continued Collaboration
-- Semiconductor International, 7/1/2000
The pre-competitive European MEDEA (Microelectronics for the Development of European Applications) collaborative program, operating within the framework of EUREKA, has successfully run 45 R&D collaborative projects over the past 31/2 years. Many of these projects have been completed and have brought together more than 130 partners from across Europe to make new technologies and processes available to the European microelectronics industry. The applications-oriented nature of this collaborative program has helped to develop a strong foundation of technical expertise that supports the continued success of the European industry. This highly successful four-year program terminates this year, but the participants are keen to ensure their collaborative work can progress in the future.A detailed study of the microelectronics sector's impact on the European economy, commissioned last year by MEDEA, showed this sector directly and indirectly supports more than 4.3M jobs in Europe and is still growing rapidly. The study concluded that microelectronics is a vital sector for the future of European competitiveness in world markets, as it is the enabler for new developments in the information age and for the increase in information accessibility that is in demand across the globe.
In order to continue the intensive collaboration that has transformed the European industry over the past decade, a new and more extended program has been proposed, which would run for eight years, from 2001 to 2008. This "System Innovation on Silicon for the e-economy" proposal is known as MEDEA+ and has been submitted by the major European microelectronics partners to the EUREKA board as an industry-driven program.
MEDEA+ is designed to address the main microelectronics technology challenges in silicon application platforms and enabling technologies. It will concentrate on those regions where European companies can continue to improve their competitiveness in system innovation. In particular, it will offer opportunities for the participation of large companies as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, institutes and universities. It will be tailored to adapt to the fast-moving technical and marketing environment. The worldwide cost of MEDEA+ is anticipated to be on the order of $150M/year.
The MEDEA+ proposal was received enthusiastically by a EUREKA High Level Group meeting in Berlin in April. It is registered under the EUREKA project number E12365 and was on the agenda for EUREKA-Network meetings in June. At the High Level Group meeting, leading industrialists discussed future opportunities for the industry with government officials. The meeting chairman, Dr. Thomas, secretary of state of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, said, "The technological position of Europe in the field of microelectronics can only be maintained and strengthened through cooperation between state and industry."
All organizations that are carrying out R&D work in at least one EUREKA country and are willing to prepare collaborative projects with other partners can now go to the MEDEA Web site at www.medea.org to download a document ("White-Book for MEDEA+") with a detailed presentation of the program's objectives and technical content. The format for the registration and submission document or project outline are to be made available on this site in the future.
- Brian Dance
