The Flemish government and the European Commission are considering additional support packages for Imec. In the best case, these could amount to more than one billion euros.

The Leuven research center Imec plays an important role in chip technology research and collaborates with the largest companies in the sector. To maintain this technological leadership, the Flemish government is building a piggy bank. Prime Minister Jam Jambon (N-VA) has issued a letter of intent to invest up to 750 million euros.

In this case, there would be no direct subsidies. The Flemish government wants to support the construction of a clean room. This is a vibration-free room with constant temperature and humidity to create optimal conditions for research. Imec would then pay rent so that part of the income would flow back to the state.

In De Tijd, Jambon describes Imec as “the jewel in the crown of the Flemish innovation landscape”. The chip technology used in the laboratory is of enormous strategic importance for Flanders. According to Jambon, Flanders wants to use IMEC to play a leading role in the development of artificial intelligence.

support from Europe

The Flemish government is not the only one supporting the imec. With the Chips Act, the European Commission wants to relocate up to twenty percent of global chip production to its own territory in order to become more independent from the USA and Asia. imec’s pioneering research is a great asset in this respect. According to De Tijd, Imec is negotiating subsidies with the Commission, which can also amount to 750 million euros.

In the best case, this would amount to one and a half billion euros in fresh capital for the research center. But it can be even better. Dutch chip machine giant ASML would also provide Imec with material worth hundreds of millions of euros.