New Centre will provide Expert Microelectronics Training

Semicon Europe, 15 April 1999 --- IMEC, Europe's leading centre for microelectronics research and development, has today unveiled plans to develop a high-level training centre for advanced training in microelectronics. The initiative represents a new phase in IMEC's 15 years of providing expert industrial training to the international market. The centre will be operational from May 1st 99.

IMEC's decision to form a dedicated training centre arises from its wealth of experience in microelectronics. With the increasing complexity of new product development and production processes, IMEC foresees the requirement for highly trained professionals will continue to increase rapidly over the coming years. Additionally, recent surveys by Dataquest, FABIT (the Flanders Electronics and Information Technology Company Association), the American Electronics Association and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics all point to the increasing shortage of well-trained personnel in the ICT industry.

IMEC's new training centre, which will form an integral part of its operation, will focus on microelectronics and related areas, including IC design, process technology and packaging. Courses will be designed to meet the requirements of operators, technicians and engineers. In addition introductory courses in chip technology are planned for engineers and other professionals operating in related fields. The centre’s facilities will be available to companies and institutions based in Flanders, in Europe and outside Europe.

Currently, the training package envisaged is unavailable at any one university or company, partly because of the multidisciplinarity and rapid evolution of the subject matter and the requested infrastructure. Through close collaboration with universities and other training establishments, IMEC plans to offer complementary high quality training, focused on the most critical and strategic industry requirements. Training will also be planned in conjunction with IMEC's industrial partners (over 500 worldwide) and in particular, custom training programs are planned for the near future in partnership with Alcatel Microelectronics and with CS2, Europe’s recently launched advanced packaging, assembly and testing operation.

IMEC has historically offered a variety of individual training programmes, including its INVOMEC educational network, focused on universities and polytechnics in Flanders; a PhD programme in close interaction with the universities in Flanders; and customised training courses for industry, ranging from design to deep-submicron processing. The new initiative will concentrate these and related activities into a core element within the organisation, covering all domains ranging from single system chip design, IC-processing to IC- packaging.

It is anticipated that the IMEC Training Centre will provide a further incentive in attracting high-tech companies to Flanders, which is already Europe's third largest high-tech region, according to Eurostat.

      ---ends---

Notes to editors

ABOUT IMEC

IMEC was founded in 1984 and is today Europe’s leading independent research centre for the development and licensing of state-of-the-art microelectronic technologies.  IMEC is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium and employs about 850 people, of whom 75 % are highly qualified scientists and engineers. Its $88 million revenue is derived from agreements and contracts with government agencies, aerospace and semiconductor industry companies world-wide.

IMEC’s activities  concentrate on: design of integrated information and communication systems (System on Chip, MPEG-4, Broadband wireless modems); silicon  process technology (lithography, Cu & low k back end, salicides, clean, dry etch, pilot line); silicon technology and device integration (deep submicron CMOS, BICMOS, NVM, reliability, analysis); microsystems, components and packaging (packaging, optoelectronic components, imagers, smart sensors and integrated microsystems, solar cells); training centre for advanced training in microelectronics (including IC design, process technology and packaging).

For further information please contact:

Marianne Van den Broeck

Head of Public Relations

IMEC, Kapeldreef 75

B- 3001 Leuven, Belgium

http://www.imec.be

Tel +32 16 28 14 91

Fax +32 16 28 16 37

Email: Marianne.vandenbroeck@imec.be