Leuven, April 30 2002 – IMEC announced its 2001 results at its General Assembly held last Friday. 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 with 22%. This result indicates that IMEC continues to develop internationally into a center that is highly attractive for industry to jointly carry out research and development.

In 2001, IMEC’s self-generated income rose by 22% to 91.1 million euro. Today, IMEC generates 76% of its total budget (119.8 million euro), the remaining 24% being funded by the Flemish Government. The income from international contracts amounted to 40 million euro, 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 30.27 million euro, 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 1,000 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 1,212 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 center, IMEC’s business model promotes such partnerships and seems increasingly attractive for industrial partners. The increase in cooperation with international industry resulted in 2001 a.o. in the opening of a business development office in Shanghai, China, to ease the interaction with Chinese companies.

Research and development

Seveal research programs were consolidated and started in line with the program-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 program 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 programs is reflected amongst others in the wireless communications research program 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 realization of the smart environment, new, large research programs were set up to combine IMEC’s technology and design expertise for the development of such new applications.

Reinforcing the Flemish industry

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 “Industrialization and Incubation” to improve its interaction with Flemish SMEs. The strategy is twofold: use of IMEC’s technology and know-how by local industry for product and process innovation and incubaton 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 spin-offs by providing the necessary funding.

A remarkable trend in the cooperation with Flemish companies is the broadening of the partners’ activities. More and more non-electronics and non-semiconductor 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.

About IMEC

IMEC was founded in 1984 and today is Europe's leading independent research center in the field of microelectronics, nanotechnology, enabling design methods and technologies for information and communication technologies (ICT) systems. IMEC's activities concentrate on the design technology for integrated information and communication systems; silicon process technology; silicon technology and device integration; nanotechnology, microsystems, components and packaging; solar cells; and advanced training in microelectronics. IMEC is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and has a staff of more than 1200 people including over 350 industrial residents and guest researchers. IMEC has a 0.13micron 200mm pilot line and is ISO9001 certified. Its revenue of 120Meuro is derived from agreements and contracts with the Flemish government and companies, the EC, MEDEA+, the European Space Agency, equipment and material suppliers, and semiconductor and system-oriented companies worldwide. News from IMEC is located at www.imec.be .

For more information:

IMEC:

Katrien Marent

Corporate Communication Manager

Public Relations and Marketing Communications

IMEC

Kapeldreef 75, B- 3001 Leuven, Belgium

Phone: +32 16 28 18 80 

Fax: +32 16 28 16 37

Email: Katrien.Marent@imec.be