Annual report 2009 - Imec

On January 16, 1984, imec’s memorandum of association was signed. Now, 25 years later, imec
has developed into a world-renowned research institute. This is due largely to the perseverance
of its founders, the leadership of Professor Baron Roger Van Overstraeten, who would look back
with pride on the achievement of his life’s dream, the continuity of the cooperation with the
government of Flanders, governmental institutes and Flemish universities, and most of all … the
enthusiasm of its employees. The perfect combination of people who have built up years of
knowledge and experience at imec and the continuous inflow of young talent from all over the
world, was and still is a prerequisite for world-class research. Also the continued support of our
industrial and university partners was indispensable for our evolution and growth. Together, we
succeeded in putting Flanders on the world map of micro- and nanoelectronics.
But we haven’t limited ourselves to growing in Flanders. In 2005, we founded Holst Centre in
Eindhoven (Netherlands), together with the Dutch research institute TNO and with support from
the Dutch and Flemish governments. Holst Centre is an open-innovation initiative that helps us
tackle new research challenges. Since 2005, Holst Centre has grown into a success story, with 20
research partners and a research staff of 185 people from 25 countries. And recently, in 2008, we
also established imec Taiwan, with the aim of boosting our collaboration with the local companies
and research institutes. At imec, we look forward with confidence to a future where open
innovation and global collaboration will be the key for further innovation.
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