Region/Cities

Rhône-Alpes / Grenoble

Sector of activity

Nanotechnologies

Objectives

• Create a worldwide center for miniaturized chip technology
• Create a long term competitive advantage in the fields of electronics and embedded software on chip, using intelligent, miniaturized and connectivity solutions
• Develop Intelligent Miniaturized Solutions with the leading French and international industrial players
• Anticipate technological gaps in nano-electronics
• Master the design of complex circuits
• Interface chips with their environment
• Master development tools for Intelligent Miniaturized Solutions.

Advantages offered by the cluster

A driving force in the local economy: micro-electronic and software sectors, with over 30 000 jobs including 25 500 in industry (14 500 in electronics/micro nanotechnologies and 11 000 in IT and software) and 4 500 in research.

Main partners

Companies

• Market leaders in their fields: Atmel, BioMérieux, Bull, Ciba Speciality Chemicals, Capgemini, Dolphin Integration, France Télécom, Freescale, Gaz et Électricité de Grenoble, MGE UPS Systems, Minatec Entreprises, Piolat, Philips Semiconductors, Polyspace Technologies, Radiall, A. Raymond, i, Silicomp, Sofileta, Sofradir, Soitec, STMicroelectronics, Scalagent Thales, Trixell, Tronic’s Microsystems, Ulis, Xerox Research Centre Europe.
• A dense local network of small and mid-sized companies

Research

• Approximately 4 000 public research posts
• Public research: CEA Grenoble (Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique – Atomic Energy Commission), CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research), INRIA Rhône Alpes, INP Grenoble, UJF, INSERM, CRSSA...
• Major facilities and international centers: ILL Neutrons, ESRF Synchrotron, PSB bio-structural, GHMF magnetism, IRAM, Grenoble University and its two major scientific universities INP G and UJF…
• Other : FMNT (Fédération des Micro-Nanotechnologies de la région Rhône-Alpes – Federation of Micro-Nanotechnolgoies in the Rhône-Alpes region), SPINTEC (CEA-CNRS) and LTM (CNRS/UJF/INPG), CEA-LETI (Future embedded systems design center). Two other FMNT research laboratories (IMEP and LMGP) integrated the cluster in 2006.

Training

Approximately 4 500 students.

• Initial training: 1 000 student engineers and 120 research teaching staff in two INP schools;
• In-house training: the new micro-electronics and micro-systems training centre welcomes 500 trainees each year;
• The CIME (Centre Interuniversitaire de Microélectronique – Inter University Center for Micro-Electronics), INP Grenoble, UJF, UPMF, CEA Grenoble, CNRS, INRIA Rhône-Alpes.

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