Periodic Reporting for period 2 - NEXTS (Next Europractice eXtended Technologies and Services: “The access point for the future generation of electronic components and systems”)
Berichtszeitraum: 2020-07-01 bis 2022-09-30
Most of the SMEs focusing on digital solutions are bringing products to the market which are solely based on software innovations (and, to a large extent, are only app-based). If their products also innovated and differentiated on the hardware/electronic component level, their chances for business success and sustainability would be significantly enhanced. This innovation gap is created by high-risk investment, lack of core knowledge in digital solutions (especially hardware), fragmented access to technology infrastructure and experts, which are all major barriers for innovators in academia, SMEs and mid-caps struggling to adopt new digital technologies. These barriers, adding to the manufacturing gap in Europe, amplify an existing chasm to capturing value from the 4th industrial revolution.
NEXTS has significantly contributed to lowering the barriers to digitisation by building upon the well-established, widely used and successful EUROPRACTICE service and extending it towards SMEs and System Integration. This has been achieved by enhancing the services provided to European academia, extending them to start-ups and SMEs, encouraging new users from non-traditional sectors, adding new technologies to serve new markets, diversifying the service towards smart system integration, and supporting the training of future generations of engineers that will be required for the growing digital economy in Europe.
Since its creation, EUROPRACTICE has bridged the gap between academia and industry in the high-tech world by offering European universities and research institutes affordable access to the latest IC (Integrated Circuits) design tools and technologies. This is reflected in the training provided by universities from which the best IC design engineers emerge, essential for the SMEs innovation in new IC products.
NEXTS builds on the vast experience and strong position of EUROPRACTICE, which has supported the European academic sector with CAD tools and IC prototyping for over 25 years, and its partners have already supported SMEs with fabrication services for over 15 years. The consortium has been extended with CMP and TYNDALL, who provide access to complementary foundry services and, more importantly, to system integration capabilities. During the NEXTS project, more than 600 European Universities and Research Institutes got supported by easy and affordable access to state-of-the-art design tools and associated training. In addition, more than 3000 designs were fabricated in various technologies, ranging from 7 nm finFET to Si-Photonics technology.
To help ensure that Europe remains competitive in the electronics sector, it is necessary that European industry and innovative start-ups have enough high-quality well-trained engineers graduating from university. Thanks to the continuously evolving EUROPRACTICE service, European universities, research institutes and small and medium-sized companies are provided with vital infrastructure. EUROPRACTICE has grown to become an indispensable part of the European research and training landscape and part of the solution to helping Europe remain competitive.
NEXTS has significantly contributed to lowering the barriers to digitisation by building upon the well-established, widely used and successful EUROPRACTICE service and extending it towards SMEs and System Integration. This has been achieved by enhancing the services provided to European academia, extending them to start-ups and SMEs, encouraging new users from non-traditional sectors, adding new technologies to serve new markets, diversifying the service towards smart system integration, and supporting the training of future generations of engineers that will be required for the growing digital economy in Europe.
Since its creation, EUROPRACTICE has bridged the gap between academia and industry in the high-tech world by offering European universities and research institutes affordable access to the latest IC (Integrated Circuits) design tools and technologies. This is reflected in the training provided by universities from which the best IC design engineers emerge, essential for the SMEs innovation in new IC products.
NEXTS builds on the vast experience and strong position of EUROPRACTICE, which has supported the European academic sector with CAD tools and IC prototyping for over 25 years, and its partners have already supported SMEs with fabrication services for over 15 years. The consortium has been extended with CMP and TYNDALL, who provide access to complementary foundry services and, more importantly, to system integration capabilities. During the NEXTS project, more than 600 European Universities and Research Institutes got supported by easy and affordable access to state-of-the-art design tools and associated training. In addition, more than 3000 designs were fabricated in various technologies, ranging from 7 nm finFET to Si-Photonics technology.
To help ensure that Europe remains competitive in the electronics sector, it is necessary that European industry and innovative start-ups have enough high-quality well-trained engineers graduating from university. Thanks to the continuously evolving EUROPRACTICE service, European universities, research institutes and small and medium-sized companies are provided with vital infrastructure. EUROPRACTICE has grown to become an indispensable part of the European research and training landscape and part of the solution to helping Europe remain competitive.
EUROPRACTICE offers universities, research institutes and companies a pan-European One-Stop Total Solution service giving access to CAD tools, foundry design rules, simulation models, cell libraries, ASIC prototyping and volume production. The service is delivered to every European country at the same conditions.
Design tool support is given to more than 600 academic member institutes. In addition, 7 European start-ups have been supported with a Cadence design tool license (proof-of-concept).
The impact on European level concerning IC prototyping and small volume projects is also very large with 183 European universities, 61 European research institutes and 166 European companies fabricating various prototypes during the entire NEXTS project. Consequently, EUROPRACTICE reaches a very large user base.
Wherever and whenever possible the EUROPRACTICE-partners favour technologies from European companies to be supplied to its customers. The EUROPRACTICE portfolio contains a reasonable number of tools and technology offerings from European suppliers. Most of the IC and MtM technologies offered are from the main European foundries (namely ams, STMicroelectronics, X-FAB, EMM and IHP), or produced in fabs based in Europe (namely OnSemi and Globalfoundries). In the case of CAD tools, only one of the leading suppliers is European (namely Siemens EDA). In addition, we offer access to tool software from Dolphin Integration (France), Imagination Technologies (UK) and Luceda (Belgium).
During the NEXTS project, 13 new technology suppliers (from which 12 European) were added to the EUROPRACTICE service portfolio. EUROPRACTICE acts also as a seeding platform for novel technologies, which have been developed in other EU initiatives, especially pilot line projects (such as PIX4LIFE, PIXAPP and 2D-EPL). By doing this, these technologies are made available to a wide customer base.
As such EUROPRACTICE ensures sustainability of these novel innovative technologies and enables growth for the companies and/or research institutes who exploit these. All of this maximizes the impact for the European suppliers economically as well as innovatively.
Design tool support is given to more than 600 academic member institutes. In addition, 7 European start-ups have been supported with a Cadence design tool license (proof-of-concept).
The impact on European level concerning IC prototyping and small volume projects is also very large with 183 European universities, 61 European research institutes and 166 European companies fabricating various prototypes during the entire NEXTS project. Consequently, EUROPRACTICE reaches a very large user base.
Wherever and whenever possible the EUROPRACTICE-partners favour technologies from European companies to be supplied to its customers. The EUROPRACTICE portfolio contains a reasonable number of tools and technology offerings from European suppliers. Most of the IC and MtM technologies offered are from the main European foundries (namely ams, STMicroelectronics, X-FAB, EMM and IHP), or produced in fabs based in Europe (namely OnSemi and Globalfoundries). In the case of CAD tools, only one of the leading suppliers is European (namely Siemens EDA). In addition, we offer access to tool software from Dolphin Integration (France), Imagination Technologies (UK) and Luceda (Belgium).
During the NEXTS project, 13 new technology suppliers (from which 12 European) were added to the EUROPRACTICE service portfolio. EUROPRACTICE acts also as a seeding platform for novel technologies, which have been developed in other EU initiatives, especially pilot line projects (such as PIX4LIFE, PIXAPP and 2D-EPL). By doing this, these technologies are made available to a wide customer base.
As such EUROPRACTICE ensures sustainability of these novel innovative technologies and enables growth for the companies and/or research institutes who exploit these. All of this maximizes the impact for the European suppliers economically as well as innovatively.
The opportunity to unlock digital innovation and market opportunities for the European industry relies on transforming the value chain in two ways; firstly, by moving beyond integration at the circuit level to system integration for the delivery of high-value smart devices and smart connected objects; secondly by enabling new actors to demonstrate high value-added performance in their products and workflow thanks to the adoption of digital technologies. NEXTS has contributed to the growth of the European industry grows by the development, fabrication and deployment of electronic smart systems.
At the conceptual level, EUROPRACTICE aims to close the gap between the supply and demand side for microelectronic components in virtually all application domains. Therefore, the offered service provides maximum impact to all sides of the value chain. The strategic impact of the EUROPRACTICE services has a long-term perspective, as one of its main targets is to prepare and train the engineers of the future (through easy access to tools, technology and training in the most advanced technologies). There is no scheme of comparable scope anywhere in the world. This offers Europe a distinct advantage over other regions.
At the conceptual level, EUROPRACTICE aims to close the gap between the supply and demand side for microelectronic components in virtually all application domains. Therefore, the offered service provides maximum impact to all sides of the value chain. The strategic impact of the EUROPRACTICE services has a long-term perspective, as one of its main targets is to prepare and train the engineers of the future (through easy access to tools, technology and training in the most advanced technologies). There is no scheme of comparable scope anywhere in the world. This offers Europe a distinct advantage over other regions.