KU Leuven and TU Eindhoven Enhance Collaboration in Microchip Engineering
KU Leuven and TU Eindhoven (TU/e) have announced a major collaboration to strengthen their joint efforts in microchip engineering. This agreement will strengthen the position of the Brainport (Eindhoven) and Mindgate (Leuven) regions and will closely involve local semiconductor industrial pioneers ASML and IMEC. This collaboration is also a crucial step in light of the European Chips Act, which promotes talent and knowledge development in semiconductor research and education.
The collaboration between KU Leuven and TU/e will be developed around five strategic action areas, which include both research and education initiatives.
One of the key elements is a jointly funded PhD funding programme. From 2024 onwards, PhD candidates will start research projects in the field of semiconductors on topics such as AI, mechatronics, software engineering, materials science, plasma physics, heterogeneous integration and optics. The aim of this programme is to train the next generation of experts who can make major breakthroughs in these areas.
In addition to supporting PhDs, the collaboration will also provide a joint seed fund , define joint research themes and prepare grant proposals. A joint grant facilitator will be appointed to identify additional fundraising opportunities for existing and new research themes. This role will be crucial in securing the necessary resources to support ongoing and future projects, thus increasing the impact of the collaboration.
The educational initiatives under this partnership are equally ambitious. Collaborative initiatives are being explored to set up joint Master’s programmes in areas such as optics, photonics, quantum technology, semiconductor engineering and high-tech systems engineering. This also includes exchange opportunities between the two institutions for both students and staff.
Rector Luc Sels of KU Leuven is enthusiastic about the collaboration: “In so many ways, we speak the same language. I am very happy that we can build on our bond of trust, our geographical proximity and on ongoing collaborations with TU/e to further position our region as the backbone of the European semiconductor landscape.”
“We have high expectations of this collaboration,” says TU/e rector Silvia Lenaerts. “As top institutions in the field of semiconductors, both embedded in their own regional knowledge and innovation ecosystem, we complement each other perfectly. Europe is facing a major challenge to gain a better position in the global semiconductor sector. That is crucial for our strategic autonomy, for our earning capacity and for solving societal challenges. This collaboration is a very important step in that direction.”
For KU Leuven, this collaboration is part of a broader strategy to further develop its knowledge and innovation ecosystems across regional and national borders. In 2023, KU Leuven, TU/e and RWTH Aachen also signed a joint declaration of intent to further stimulate AI research and education in the border area between Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.