The Belgian research organization IMEC (Interuniversity Microelectronics Center) officially established a representative office in Hsinchu Science Park in Taiwan on January 22. According to the Economic Daily News, IMEC representatives stated that one of the major reasons for coming to Taiwan is that the country, and especially the region around Hsinchu, has a highly developed semiconductor industry, with a large pool of R&D talent available.

IMEC intends to cooperate with local Taiwanese research institutes and companies in semiconductors, IC design, solar power batteries and MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems). Currently, IMEC already cooperates with several Taiwanese companies, including a project with TSMC on 22nm CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) technology.

The company also plans to set up a full-fledged R&D center in Taiwan in the coming six months.