IMEC A: Creating value through a new approach to IPR
management
Nr1 in micro electronics
See graphic Moore’s law
Work in technology, know where the technology is going. We know what kind of programs we should
develop. Not always the case!
Problem: paradox
1) 2/3 fundings (early phase of Imec) coming from local government. Why finance? Issue! create pre-
competitive space (= work in area where competitive advantage is not yet a big problem) by shifting to
earlier phase of techn developent
2) Global reach needed to build critical mess go for global approach.
3) companies only outsources R&D in core business, claiming exclusive ownership on results integrate
technology lifecycle and value chain and create new IP-model.
Existing business & IP models did not offer a solution
Tax payer’s paradox : way out
1. Create a pre-competitive space, by shifting to an earlier phase of technology development,
addressing generic problems for a class of companies.
2. Go for a global approach to build critical mass.
3. Integrate both the technology life-cycle and the value chain.
4. Create a new (adapted) IP-model with a much finer granularity.
IP policy: Imec focusing on the area of embryonic and potential (techn life style), divided in generic
technology where people work together with a lot of partners and in application oriented where in
each company they will help by making application. The more you move to the end, the more
commercial products and technology protect IP and technologies.
Graphic: money from government is growing, still grow revenue also grow
Work together with full transparency but also work on a customize piece problem! Most generated
together, little pieces by Imec + other company
, IP policy: bridge function: see slide
Academic: long time before comes to market, investment low
industrial: cost high, time low
Imec in between
Imec working on the yellow box under common research
Questions
1) What kind of organization is IMEC? How does IMEC create value for its customers / partners? How
does it capture a portion of that value?
IMEC, a major European research institute located in Leuven, Belgium, focused primarily on advanced
microelectronics research, 3 to 10 years in advance of market introduction, for applications in the
semiconductor industry.
IMEC’s business model depended very much on collaboration with industry partners. Because of the
rising costs and risks involved in conducting groundbreaking research, microelectronics device
manufacturers and equipment suppliers were usually reluctant to invest in all those options on their
own. One option available to these manufacturers was to rely upon academia for their research.
However, this was not ideal because university research was usually too upstream for industry
applications and a 300 mm clean room research infrastructure was beyond the financial means of
university oriented research. Furthermore, success in academia was predicated on open, unrestricted
sharing of results, while the sponsoring company wanted some restriction (not publicly available) on
rights to the results in order to get a return on their investment and strengthen the company’s
management
Nr1 in micro electronics
See graphic Moore’s law
Work in technology, know where the technology is going. We know what kind of programs we should
develop. Not always the case!
Problem: paradox
1) 2/3 fundings (early phase of Imec) coming from local government. Why finance? Issue! create pre-
competitive space (= work in area where competitive advantage is not yet a big problem) by shifting to
earlier phase of techn developent
2) Global reach needed to build critical mess go for global approach.
3) companies only outsources R&D in core business, claiming exclusive ownership on results integrate
technology lifecycle and value chain and create new IP-model.
Existing business & IP models did not offer a solution
Tax payer’s paradox : way out
1. Create a pre-competitive space, by shifting to an earlier phase of technology development,
addressing generic problems for a class of companies.
2. Go for a global approach to build critical mass.
3. Integrate both the technology life-cycle and the value chain.
4. Create a new (adapted) IP-model with a much finer granularity.
IP policy: Imec focusing on the area of embryonic and potential (techn life style), divided in generic
technology where people work together with a lot of partners and in application oriented where in
each company they will help by making application. The more you move to the end, the more
commercial products and technology protect IP and technologies.
Graphic: money from government is growing, still grow revenue also grow
Work together with full transparency but also work on a customize piece problem! Most generated
together, little pieces by Imec + other company
, IP policy: bridge function: see slide
Academic: long time before comes to market, investment low
industrial: cost high, time low
Imec in between
Imec working on the yellow box under common research
Questions
1) What kind of organization is IMEC? How does IMEC create value for its customers / partners? How
does it capture a portion of that value?
IMEC, a major European research institute located in Leuven, Belgium, focused primarily on advanced
microelectronics research, 3 to 10 years in advance of market introduction, for applications in the
semiconductor industry.
IMEC’s business model depended very much on collaboration with industry partners. Because of the
rising costs and risks involved in conducting groundbreaking research, microelectronics device
manufacturers and equipment suppliers were usually reluctant to invest in all those options on their
own. One option available to these manufacturers was to rely upon academia for their research.
However, this was not ideal because university research was usually too upstream for industry
applications and a 300 mm clean room research infrastructure was beyond the financial means of
university oriented research. Furthermore, success in academia was predicated on open, unrestricted
sharing of results, while the sponsoring company wanted some restriction (not publicly available) on
rights to the results in order to get a return on their investment and strengthen the company’s
