This network is now being developed and expanded into a nationwide and internationally visible university network for semiconductor technology and microelectronics. The follow-up project “ForLab NataliE” (“Nachwuchstalente für die integrierte Elektronik” - early-career talents for integrated electronics) was launched in August 2023 with an opening event.
The headlines in the media are a seismograph for emerging developments: keywords such as 'shortage of skilled workers', 'worries about young talent' and 'vacant positions' are increasingly appearing in the news. The same holds true for the microelectronics industry in Germany. Attracting professional staff is increasingly becoming a key factor that requires the utmost attention. For Germany's future development as a research and technology hub, it is essential that all partners throughout the education and training process pool, coordinate and strengthen their efforts in order to secure the next generation of professional staff. The relevance of microelectronics for future challenges such as digitalization, energy transition or e-mobility is a key aspect that needs to get more attention again: Microelectronics are a core requirement for sustainability and take place in Germany!
The ForLab NataliE project is based at the Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) and seeks to increase the visibility of microelectronics research at universities, accelerate technology transfer to applications, and promote training for new talented researchers beyond university boundaries. TU Dresden is coordinating the project (Prof. Thomas Mikolajick), with Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Prof. Martin Hoffmann) and Technische Universität Ilmenau (Prof. Jens Müller) as project partners.
“Through our project, we are aiming to consolidate the cooperation structures between the research laboratories and expand them to include even more university locations,” Prof. Thomas Mikolajick, the coordinator of "NataliE", describes the project's approach. Cross-site cooperation is a mainstay of the project: “By creating uniform approaches to cooperation and mutual use of the high-tech facilities in the cleanrooms, collaboration among researchers and access for both SMEs and startups will be made much easier,” project partner Prof. Martin Hoffmann of Ruhr University Bochum explains.
The available facilities, the research and teaching profiles and the universities' industrial collaborations will be made visible via a “Competency Atlas”. Project partner Prof. Jens Müller of TU Ilmenau confirms: “By creating a high-quality information resource on the competencies of the ForLab partners, Germany's and, in perspective, Europe's microelectronics landscape will benefit from stronger networking, laying a foundation for synergies.”
The possibility of tendering several pilot projects for the promotion of talented individuals within NataliE is designed to create incentives for sustainable ideas for attracting new talent to research and industry: “We will initiate cross-university educational programs for students and for recruiting young talent as best practice examples throughout Germany. We will network with national and European educational initiatives such as the Microelectronics Academy of the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD),” says Mikolajick.
COMPAMED-tradefair.com; Source: Technische Universität Dresden
