News

In February 2014, the Saxon Minister of Science Sabine von Schorlemer visited France to discuss an even closer cooperation between the microelectronic regions Silicon Saxony and Rhones-Alpes. On this trip, she was accompanied by a delegation of research and industry representatives from Silicon Saxony.

“In this Key Enabling Technology which is so important for the whole European industry we would like to reaffirm the commitment of a close cooperation with our French neighbours. Our goal is a even closer cooperation between Saxony and the Rhones-Alpes region in the field of microelectronics”, the Minister says. She visited the Minalogic cluster, the European Synchrotron Raditation Facility ESRF, the research institution Laboratoire d`electronique des technologies de l`ìnformation LETI and the semiconductor company STMicroelectronics in Crolles.

During the visit, representatives of the Silicon Europe clusters signed a joined paper to support the European micro- and nanoelectronics strategy. The cluster alliance Silicon Europe is funded by the European Commission and coordinated from the German partner Silicon Saxony.

“From intensifiying the already good relations especially between the microelectronic sites Saxony and Grenoble I expect more valuable impulses for joint research activities and for a further boost of the European microelectronics industry”, Minister of State von Schorlemer commented on the signing of the contract.

In attendance of the Saxon Minister and the president if the Rhones-Alpes region representatives of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the ESRF also signed a five-year contract for joint research cooperation. The Dresden-based HZDR has already had a branch at ESFR for many years.

Further talks have taken place between the Minister and various microelectronics companies, universities and highly-ranked political representatives from the City of Grenoble and the Rhones-Alpes region, for example the region’s president, Jean-Jack Queyranne. “The European players in micro- and nanoelectronics are facing huge technological and economic challenges”, Schorlemer emphasizes. “More and more states, especially the US and a number of Asian countries, are well aware of the important role the Key Technology of microelectronics plays for the whole global economy. If we in Europe still want to build the very best cars, machines and Health Care instruments in the world, we need excellent competencies in microelectronics and also competitive conditions comparable with other global regions.” In a speech, the Minister also directed this demand at political representatives of Brussels and the EU member states.