INTERUNIVERSITAIR MICRO-ELECTRONICA CENTRUM

Their core work

IMEC is Europe's leading independent nanoelectronics and digital technology research center, headquartered in Leuven, Belgium. They develop next-generation semiconductor processes, silicon photonics, advanced sensors, and photonic integrated circuits — then transfer these technologies to industry through pilot lines and co-creation programs. Their work spans the full chain from fundamental materials research (graphene, 2D materials) to application-ready integration in areas like IoT, automotive, energy harvesting, and medical devices. With nearly €250M in H2020 funding across 270 projects, they function as a critical bridge between academic research and industrial-scale manufacturing.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2014-2018), IMEC focused heavily on physical sensors, photovoltaics, automotive electronics, and foundational semiconductor work like atomic layer deposition and pilot lines — classic hardware-oriented research. By the later period (2019-2022), their portfolio shifted decisively toward digital system integration: IoT, HPC, cloud and edge computing, digital twins, and co-creation methodologies became dominant themes, while metrology and lithography work continued as the semiconductor backbone. This evolution reflects a deliberate move up the stack — from making chips and components to enabling the computational systems built on top of them.

IMEC is moving from pure semiconductor hardware R&D toward full-stack digital system integration, making them increasingly relevant for partners who need both the chip-level and the application-level expertise in one organization.

How they like to work

IMEC operates primarily as an active partner (207 of 270 projects) but also leads a substantial number of consortia (62 as coordinator), showing they can both drive and support large research programs. With 2,383 unique consortium partners across 50 countries, they are a massive network hub — one of the most connected organizations in H2020. This breadth means they bring not just technical capability but also access to an enormous ecosystem of potential co-developers, end users, and integration partners.

IMEC has collaborated with 2,383 unique partners across 50 countries, making them one of the most interconnected research organizations in all of Horizon 2020. Their network spans virtually every EU member state and extends globally, with particularly dense connections in the semiconductor and digital technology ecosystems.

What sets them apart

IMEC is one of very few organizations in Europe that combines deep semiconductor process R&D with application-level system integration across multiple sectors — from health diagnostics to energy harvesting to automotive. Unlike university labs that publish papers or companies that build products, IMEC occupies the critical middle ground: they operate pilot lines where prototype technologies become manufacturable. For consortium builders, partnering with IMEC means access to cleanroom infrastructure, 270 projects worth of integration experience, and a contact network of over 2,300 organizations.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SeNaTe
  Seven Nanometer Technology project with €7.2M EC contribution — one of IMEC's largest funded projects, pushing the frontier of semiconductor miniaturization.
• PowerBase
  €6M project on GaN pilot lines for compact power applications, demonstrating IMEC's role in bridging lab-scale innovation to industrial production.
• CARDIS
  Coordinator role applying silicon photonics to cardiovascular disease detection — a strong example of IMEC translating semiconductor tech into health applications.