The Ministry of Science and Innovation reinforces CNM and MICRONANOFABS equipment with the addendum to the Recovery Plan
The Ministry of Science and Innovation will allocate an additional 1,304 million euros from European funds to strengthen R&D&I in strategic sectors such as cutting-edge health, aerospace, microelectronics and semiconductors. 62.5 million are earmarked for the capacities of the National Microelectronics Center and the equipment of the distributed ICTS MICRONANOFABS.
Original information from the Ministry of Science and Innovation.
The Ministry of Science and Innovation announced this week that it will allocate an additional 1,304 million euros of European funds to strengthen R&D&I in strategic sectors such as cutting-edge health, aerospace, microelectronics and semiconductors. This investment, thanks to the addendum to the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, is in addition to the €3,456 million Recovery Plan budget already held by the ministry, of which 90% has been called and 72% has been granted.
This amount will be divided between the Strategic Projects for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE) for cutting-edge Health and Aerospace, coordinated by the Science portfolio, and for Microelectronics and Semiconductors (Chip), which is managed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation.
The PERTE Chip started in March 2022, is endowed with 12,250 million following the approval of the addendum to the Recovery Plan, and is going to be allocated, among other actions, to facilities in the field of semiconductors associated with supercomputing. In addition, 62.5 million will be used to reinforce the capacities of the National Microelectronics Center (CNM of the CSIC), with its three sites, and the equipment of MICRONANOFABS, with its three nodes, the distributed network of microfabrication clean rooms on the map of Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructures (ICTS).
The National Microelectronics Center (CNM) is distributed among its three sites in Barcelona (IMB), Madrid (IMN) and Seville (IMSE), while the MICRONANOFABS network comprises three clean rooms dedicated to micro and nanofabrication: IMB-CNM's Micro and Nanofabrication Clean Room, the Clean Room of the Institute of Optoelectronic Systems and Microtechnology of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (ISOM-UPM) and the Micro and Nano Fabrication Infrastructure of the Nano Photonics Technology Center of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (NTC-UPV).
The MICRONANOFABS Network offers a unique open and competitive access to the capabilities of the three nodes. The Network expands the technological offer in the fields of Micro and Nano Fabrication, Photonics and Characterization of Materials and Devices.
The IMB-CNM (CSIC) welcomes the fact that the funding foreseen in the PERTE makes way and contemplates the reinforcement, improvement and possible extension of the infrastructure of its Clean Room, the largest R&D&I facility in the country, which will continue to be available to the Spanish microelectronics ecosystem as a strategic and global resource.
"We are confident that this investment will allow us to continue contributing to the development of new concepts in micro and nanoelectronics after more than 30 years of service to the Spanish society thanks to a team and an infrastructure that has allowed unique devices to see the light of day: from the inside of cells to outer space," says Luis Fonseca, director of IMB-CNM.