Catalan universities and research and technology centres including Eurecat have joined forces to set up a training cluster in microelectronics and nanoelectronics technology and for other complementary scientific and technological disciplines to meet the needs of the semiconductor industry.
The cluster will deliver training, continuing education and reskilling courses, postgraduate programmes and a joint master’s degree run between its members. It will additionally coordinate industrial doctorates. The initiative is part of the decision to back Catalonia as a hub for the semiconductor and microchip industry.
Universities and research and technology centres have teamed up with the Barcelona and Girona chambers of commerce to promote Catalonia as the site of one of the semiconductor factories to be built in the European Union where the microchip industry is a key sector with huge potential. Indeed, one of the strategic projects for economic recovery and transformation (PERTE) sponsored by the Spanish government will be in microchips and semiconductors and is set receive over €11 billion in public investment from Next Generation EU funds.
Parties to the agreement for setting up this cluster include the University of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, the University of Girona, Rovira i Virgili University, the Barcelona Microelectronics Institute at the CSIC and the Eurecat technology centre.
