It has been known since last July that the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC), based in the Belgian city of Leuven, intends to set up a branch in Spain, but it was only at the end of January that the location was announced. The Minister for Digital Transformation, José Luis Escrivá, announced that Malaga will be the host city for this microelectronics R&D centre.

After announcing the news, the Minister did as a result thank the Andalusian Regional Government and the city council of Málaga for their collaboration after several weeks of intense work. The centre's facilities will include the company's second production plant in the world, the first outside Belgium.

Job creation
Pending the final details, the Andalusia Science Park, where IMEC Fab 5 will be installed, claims that its arrival will mean the creation of 450 highly qualified direct jobs. It will also be one of the first tenants in the first phase of the Málaga TechPark expansion.

IMEC is the world's leading centre for research and technology transfer in the field of semiconductors. The Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation, in the section dedicated to semiconductors (PERTE Chip), has acted as a magnet to bring strategic facilities to Spain that will boost the development of the value chain for this industry.

Knowledge transfer
The Minister for Economy, Finance and European Funds and President of Málaga TechPark, Carolina España, stated that IMEC's presence in Málaga “will facilitate the transfer of knowledge and cutting-edge technology in the field of semiconductors, foster collaboration with local companies and startups, boosting innovation and entrepreneurship in Spain, and decisively promote training and research in the field of semiconductors”.

IMEC has over 5,000 researchers from 95 countries and more than 600 industrial partners, including all the major international companies in the industry. The Government of Spain hopes that its arrival in Spain will serve to boost investment from other international companies, in addition to generating new, highly qualified jobs.

^{Photo: Andalusia Science Park}