The Flemish organizations iMinds and IMEC will join forces to grow into “a world-class high-tech research centre driving the digital economy”.
The merger of both organizations implies that by the end of this year, some 3,500 top researchers from 70 countries will be part of one single organization, the ambition being to provide thus significant added value for Flemish companies and start-ups.
The merger was mainly prompted by the request of IMEC, that has the ambition to develop more applied technology in fast-growing fields such as e-health. This requires a thorough knowledge of software and design, which are exactly the strengths of iMinds.
IMEC was established in Leuven in 1984 and has become a world-leading research centre in nanoelectronics. Ghent-based iMinds was only established in 2004 and has specialized mainly in the development of ICT and broadband internet applications.
Besides, the merger has obtained the explicit consent of the Flemish government that will make an extra three million EUR available for this year, in addition to the normal government grants awarded to both organizations.
