EUROPEAN COMMISSION
MEMO
Brussels, 29 May 2013
Five major projects announced as part of new EU
Electronics strategy
The European Commission is today announcing a collection of five major projects, to boost
Europe's manufacturing competitiveness by bringing research closer to industrial needs.
These projects are the first steps in putting into effect the European Electronics strategy of
23 May.
The 5 so-called "Pilot lines" put research at the heart of electronics manufacturing. They
do this by linking up 128 partners, so that European manufacturers work directly with
technology companies, chip designers, researchers, and universities at the very earliest
stages of product development. The purpose is to develop the kind of innovative
microchips which will give European industry and products a global competitive edge.
European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes says: 'We do not have any time to
waste. These projects will make a vital contribution to implementing our electronics
strategy. And by end 2013 I want to see the industry's plan to achieve a doubling of chip
production to around 20% of global production'.
To this end, a large consultation is underway and today Vice-President Kroes is meeting
Ministers from regional and national governments, CEOs from major European
semiconductor manufacturers, and the world-leading researchers to discuss the
implementation of the new Strategy.
The Commission will provide €100 million to support these 5 pilot lines (funding totals
over €700m when contributions from Member States and industry are included).
This is also the first time that the European electronics industry will be able to have direct
access to this scale of experimental research facility, thanks to the more than 120
partners involved.
The pilot lines being developed are:
 The French AGATE pilot line in Bernin. This project aims at generating
affordable, industrial grade substrates using a revolutionary new material, gallium
nitride, that will considerably enhance the performance and reduce the power
consumed by electric vehicles, e.g. by lighting systems using light emitting diodes
(LED). The project of 10 partners will end in December 2015. It involves the whole
value chain from materials suppliers to end-users through equipment, device and
system integration companies.
MEMO/13/466
 The joint Dutch-Belgian E450EDL pilot line in Leuven & Veldhoven.
Electronics components are increasingly pervasive in our life thanks to continuously
declining costs and increasing performance. Future technologies will cut costs by
using new basic materials. To consolidate the Europe leadership in this field, the
E450EDL pilot line based in Leuven & Veldhoven will establish a realistic environment
in which 43 partners from 11 countries will be able to validate novel equipment,
materials and first processing sequences, until September 2016.
 The Austrian EPPL pilot line in Villach. Important European goals in greenhouse
gas reduction, energy efficiency and electro-mobility can be pursued using by socalled power electronic components. This pilot line will work on building power
devices on ultra-thin large area silicon substrates, reinforcing the strong European
position in cost-effective leading-edge components. 31 partners are involved until
March 2016.
 The Italian Lab4MEMS in Agrate. Tiny devices for sensing, so called
microsystems, are the enablers of many innovations such as accelerometers,
gyroscopes or microphones used in car air bags or in portable phones. This project
aims at expanding the European leadership position in relevant fields by including
novel materials with magnetic and piezoelectric properties and provide advanced
packaging solutions. The 20 partners will work until June 2015 at 9 locations to
develop the necessary technologies and provide them for integration in the main
pilot line in Agrate, Italy.
 The joint Franco-German Places2Be in Crolles and Dresden. This pilot line is
entirely devoted to implementing the so-called FDSOI technology for leading-edge
integrated circuits. This competitive technology, which allows for further
miniaturisation of devices while increasing performance and reducing power
consumption, will evolve towards large-scale volume manufacturing. The aim of the
23 partners is to bring this promising technology to industrial scale by solving
challenges such as manufacturing yield and application development. Until
December 2015 developments will demonstrate and stabilise the technology over
two manufacturing sites in Crolles, France, and Dresden, Germany.
How do pilot lines work?
Industries using advanced electronics to differentiate their products (cars, mobile phones,
electrical appliances, computers, medical equipment etc.) do not simply buy an already
finalised chip. They work together with electronics manufacturers, during the design and
manufacture process, to make sure that the end product best suits their needs. Usually
this is done with electronics manufactures based throughout the world, in particular in Asia
and the US.
The European Commission is supporting pilot lines closer to home to enable European
manufacturers to develop innovative chips and production processes that are state of the
art and feature unique properties, such as being more energy efficient or offering more
functionality. Through pilot lines, novel technologies can be developed faster, made
available to users for testing and validation at a much earlier stage in the product
development stage so that the risks in rolling out these processes at larger scale is
significantly reduced. These new chips and procedures will better suit manufacturers'
needs, giving their products a competitive edge. Pilot lines will also work closely with
suppliers and the innovation chain (for example universities, Research and Technology
Organisations (RTOs), technology providers, designers).
2
To give some examples, a manufacturing of light fittings will get a supply of advanced high
performance LED devices to adapt the light intensity and colour to the time of the day and
the mood of the user; a company developing an electric vehicle will collaborate with the
pilot lines building the next power management devices to extend the autonomy of the
vehicle; a portable phone manufacturer will experiment with integrated devices consuming
40% less power and running at higher speed to integrate further features for
communication and entertainment etc.
Having these pilot lines in the EU gives Europe's electronics and manufacturing sectors an
edge globally. By being relatively close to each other's researchers and manufacturers,
they have short loops of exchange which is essential for better results.
Until recently, this could not have happened, because neither the EU on its own, nor any
of the EU countries on its own could have funded it. This was made possible thanks to the
joint contribution of the EU, member states and industry, through the funding and support
of ENIAC, a public-private partnership aimed at enhancing further integration and
miniaturisation of devices and increasing their functionalities.
How were these pilot lines selected?
These pilot lines were selected on the basis of the following criteria:
 they should be based in a manufacturing enterprise that has significant production in
the EU;
 they should build on leading edge R&D;
 they should bring benefits in energy savings, optimised production processes and
enhanced products;
 the benefits of the pilot lines should be very much beyond their immediate location –
they serve the suppliers, customers and society;
 they should have the potential to create new, and safeguard existing jobs; and
 there should be a significant commitment by industry – public funding is in the order
of 30%.
Useful links
A new Electronics Strategy for Europe
Electronics in the Digital Agenda
More information on the pilot lines
ENIAC
The 5 pilot lines in the Digital Agenda
Contacts :
Ryan Heath (+32 2 296 17 16), Twitter: @RyanHeathEU
Linda Cain (+32 2 299 90 19)
3