Microelectronics industry asks Commission to fund university engineers
Representatives of the Eureka-supported MEDEA programme, which networks players in the European microelectronics industry, met with officials from the European Commission this week to ask for continued support under the next framework programme. Research and development through microelectronics projects are currently supported under the Information society technologies programme (IST) of the Commission's Fifth Framework programme, but plans on how to distribute Community funds for research and technological development after 2002 are yet to be decided. The MEDEA representatives hope the forthcoming discussions will help ensure that the microelectronics industry's priorities are included in the scope of the Commission's first formal proposal on the structure of the next framework programme, scheduled for publication in February or March next year. The Commission has clearly indicated that this will be oriented more to large-scale strategic projects and will particularly emphasise the need for networking in a 'European Research Area' (ERA). MEDEA sees this as an advantage: 'Clearly the concept of an ERA is a good one. What we are willing to implement...is really advanced work at a university and industrial level,' Dr Gérard Matheron, head of the MEDEA office, told CORDIS News at the MEDEA 2000 Forum in Paris at the end of November. 'We want to network excellence and we propose to identify an industrial point of view.' This, he says, means using Community funds to support basic research at universities around Europe, allowing industry to take up more advanced matters. We had a very good cooperation [with the European Commission] on the JESSE side [the programme preceding MEDEA]. But then policies changed. For the future we want to work with MEDEA + on a consensus on what is to be funded by whom.' The talks coincide with the end of the four-year MEDEA programme, which is being replaced by 'MEDEA +', marking a new phase for the development of the microelectronics industry in Europe. MEDEA has been hailed as a great success with impressive results, both by the organisations involved in projects and, through EUREKA, at the political level. 'European companies are now stronger in international standard setting...and European research and development in semiconductors has doubled since 1993 and is five times what it was in 1995...MEDEA is the leading model for transnational cooperative, pre-competitive research in the world, demonstrating how cooperation cuts development times risk and costs,' writes the MEDEA office. 'We discovered it's so difficult and costly to develop new technology that it's better to work together to gain new ground,' says Dr Mathron. He describes the process as 'co-opetition', where competitors cooperate and then compete so they share basic generic ideas. 'We want more companies to join MEDEA +...It shows a clear willingness to prepare R&D at a European level for the competitiveness of the microelectronics industry in Europe.' Three European microelectronics companies are now in the world top ten. Infineon technologies (Siemens), STmicroelectronics and Philips semiconductors ranked eighth, ninth and tenth in 1999. MEDEA claims a major role in their success. It followed in the footsteps of JESSE (1989 - 1996), which looked to close the technology gap with the USA and Asia. MEDEA aimed to be more forward looking. 'It looked at how European microelectronics companies could take an early leadership in strategically chosen core competencies: multimedia; communications; automobile and traffic applications; design techniques and libraries; CMOS-based technology platforms; and manufacturing technologies,' explains the MEDEA office. The programme claims to have helped generate some 50,000 jobs in Europe between 1993 and 1998, through its partners from institutes (10 per cent), universities (13 percent), large firms (38 per cent) and small and medium sized enterprises (39 per cent). MEDEA+ aims to continue the good work. 'We are a patchwork of nations and to compete against our targets we have to collaborate, ' said MEDEA chairman Jürgen Knorr. 'The stakes are high and anyone who stands still will ultimately be left waiting for a bus that departed some time before....Europe should become a leader in semiconductors.' 'MEDEA+ is a true European project within the Eureka frame,' adds Gérard Matheron. So far, more than 150 partners in 55 projects involving 12 countries have been reviewed for the MEDEA + programme. MEDEA will now help to channel some 2 billion euro to the microelectronics industry over the next four years. Mr Knorr hopes the European Commission will share the MEDEA partners' goals. 'together we need financial support for ...our ideas...to bring up globally competitive research. This is one of the main ideas of MEDEA+.'