On Monday, December 9, 2024, the 13th imec Handai International Symposium was held at the imec headquarters in Leuven, Belgium. This symposium, based on the collaboration framework agreement concluded between SANKEN and imec in November 2011, has been held alternately in Japan and Belgium/The Netherlands since the first symposium was hosted at SANKEN. Furthermore, since May 2018, the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology has also joined this agreement, facilitating joint research and exchanges between students and researchers across a wide range of technological fields.
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The strong collaboration between SANKEN and imec has entered into its second phase. This year, representatives not only from SANKEN and the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology but also from the Graduate School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Engineering Science, and the Joining and Welding Research Institute participated in the symposium with presentations and discussions. More than 60 attendees, including imec members, shared and discussed cutting-edge research and practical advancements in fields such as "Semiconductors, Quantum, and Nanotechnology," "Life Sciences, Medicine, and Biotechnology," "AI, Information Processing, and Human Sciences," and "Sensor Technology and Wearable Devices." This vibrant exchange led to active discussions and information sharing among the participants.
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In the following days, the attendees divided into five sessions to deliberate on potential joint research themes. Based on the presentations, several new collaborative research topics were proposed, further expanding the network among researchers. After the symposium, participants joined a lab tour to experience imec's advanced technologies firsthand. At imec's 300mm super cleanroom in Leuven, they observed the cutting-edge 300mm wafer process manufacturing facilities, especially EUV, showcasing the forefront of semiconductor research and advanced scaling CMOS and microfabrication technologies. Later, they visited the imec-NL/ Holst Centre in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, to explore innovative research in flexible electronics and wearable devices, as well as the future-oriented research initiatives in health and nutrition at the OnePlanet Research Center in Wageningen, The Netherlands. This included demonstrations of health monitoring technologies leveraging sensing and AI, providing participants with a comprehensive overview of imec's diverse research activities across its three locations.
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Our strong partnership, through this symposium and friendly discussions, is expected to more expand into new research fields and technological domains. Notably, the involvement of various departments in addition to SANKEN enables a multidisciplinary approach, which is anticipated to generate more innovative research outcomes.
The robust partnership with imec not only deepens existing research areas but also fosters a foundation for the creation of collaborative research in new domains. Moving forward, the collaboration with imec will be further strengthened, integrating the expertise and technological capabilities of both parties to address societal challenges, generate significant impacts on both the industrial and academic sectors, and drive innovation.
We will continue leveraging the cooperative framework to aim for the creation of groundbreaking innovations!!
(SANKEN Strategic Planning Office)