Product category:
Design and Development Software
News Release from: IMEC
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 02 May 2002
R and D expands as IMEC revenues rise
IMEC has revealed its financial results for 2001.
IMEC has revealed its financial results for 2001 Despite the weak economical situation and the severe downturn of the semiconductor industry, probably the worst year in its history, IMEC managed to increase its contract income by 22%
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 20 Feb 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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In 2001, IMEC's self-generated income rose by 22% to Eur 91.1 million.
Today, IMEC generates 76% of its total budget (Eur 119.8 million), the remaining 24% being funded by the Flemish Government.
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The income from international contracts amounted to Eur 40 million, an increase of 32% and representing 44% of IMEC's self-generated income.
In addition, the income from collaboration with 72 Flemish companies grew in 2001 to Eur 30.27 million, an increase of 50% and representing 33% of IMEC's self-generated income.
Last year, IMEC continued to build its technology portfolio with its own intellectual property rights as a basis for cooperation with industrial partners.
The scientific results are reflected amongst others in the strong growth of the number of patents granted (41), 39 patents filed and the more than 1000 scientific publications and conference proceedings in 2001.
The strong increase in the cooperation with local and international industry is also visible in the growth of the IMEC staff with 18% to a total of 1212 personnel, 31% of which are guest researchers and industrial residents.
These significant growth numbers are in contrast with the weak economical situation worldwide and the severe downturn of the semiconductor industry.
More and more, companies tend to perform research and development in partnerships with other companies or research institutes to share cost, risk and knowledge.
As an independent research and development centre, IMEC's business model promotes such partnerships and seems increasingly attractive for industrial partners.
The increase in co-operation with international industry resulted in 2001 in the opening of a business development office in Shanghai, China, to ease the interaction with Chinese companies.
Seveal research programmes were consolidated and started in line with the programme-driven approach of IMEC's research and development.
Last year, IMEC continued to expand its unique portfolio of different scientific disciplines in microelectronics, nanotechnology and in a broader sense information and communication technologies.
This resulted in a strongly increased multidisciplinary approach and a growing convergence of the different research teams.
As an example, in 2001, a new research programme was set up, "wafer-level packaging on copper and low-k materials" that focuses on the challenges related to the packaging of copper/low-k integrated circuits.
The success of IMEC's research programmes is reflected among others in the wireless communications research programme in which ten companies from all over the world, including leading semiconductor manufacturers and electronics manufacturers, joined forces with IMEC to develop integrated receivers for broadband wireless multimedia communication.
The trend towards a smart environment requires wireless networks enabling people to communicate with an environment that automatically adjusts to everyone's needs.
In this context, IMEC increased its activities on nanotechnology and the interaction between biotechnology, chemistry and microelectronics.
To support the realisation of the smart environment, new, large research programmes were set up to combine IMEC's technology and design expertise for the development of such new applications.
One of IMEC's strategic objectives is to support local industry in Flanders by joint research and development, by transferring its research results and by setting up spin-off companies.
Last year, IMEC set up a new initiative "Industrialisation and incubation" to improve its interaction with Flemish SMEs.
The strategy is twofold: use of IMEC's technology and knowhow by local industry for product and process innovation and incubation of new companies based on technological developments at IMEC.
In this framework, a new incubation fund was set up to fill the financial gap between innovative ideas and the successful launch of high-tech IMEC spinoffs by providing the necessary funding.
A remarkable trend in the cooperation with Flemish companies is the broadening of the partners' activities.
More and more nonelectronics and nonsemiconductor companies join IMEC as partner, accounting for more than half of all new partners in the last 5 years.
In 2001, a new spin-off company, Photovoltech, was set up together with Electrabel, TotalFinaElf and Soltech to produce photovoltaic cells and modules, based on a production process developed at IMEC, at lower cost and with higher efficiency than by conventional technology.
In 2001, IMEC received a positive evaluation in the frame of its five-year agreement between IMEC and the local Flemish Government.
This resulted in a new five-year agreement and reflects the continuation of the long-term support from the Flemish Government.
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