Imec board reports solid growth of 2010

Imec’s main driver is to provide the global industry nanoelectronics-based solutions and expertise to build excellent next-generation products based on shared innovation. In 2011 and beyond, imec will continue on the same path extending the scope of its research and business offering in the domains of energy, healthcare, ICT (information and communications technology), and imaging systems.

In 2010, imec employed 1,895 people, an 8% increase over 2009, including 336 residents – visiting researchers from partner companies and institutes - and 208 PhD students. The talent and devotion of imec’s researchers led to important results, evidenced by about 1,800 conference contributions and publications in prestigious journals, often in collaboration with universities in Flanders and abroad. 143 patents were awarded in 2010 and a further 139 patents were submitted. Imec collaborates with over 600 companies and 175 universities worldwide.

“Imec has the ambition to be a pioneer in sustainable innovation, aiming at tackling the grand challenges the world is facing. I’m convinced that a major part of the answers for an efficient and sustainable healthcare system, for sustainable urbanization, and for a sustainable use of energy, will come from technology innovation at the borderline of different disciplines, and where semiconductor technology plays an indispensable role. That’s exactly imec’s strength;” said Luc Van den hove, President and CEO at imec. “To sustain our growth, we will diversify our research and offering to serve a much broader industry than we are used to work with, expanding our borders beyond the semiconductor food chain towards energy companies, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, phone companies, wireless communications companies, display developers, and many more.”