The chairman of MEDEA+, Europe’s largest cross industry research programme, has issued a stark reminder to the European microelectronics industry about the crucial importance of sustaining investment in leading edge R&D.

“If Europe wants to be in control of its own destiny, then Europe has to continue to fight for high quality R&D on European soil,” said the MEDEA+ chairman, Arthur van der Poel

He believes that there are a number of field of microelectronics research where European companies can be world class, but it requires sustained investment.

The MEDEA+ chairman referred to a number of breakthrough innovations achieved in the programme, highlighting the importance of the nano-electronic industry as driver for Europe’s economic growth.

“European R&D in nano-electronics today is at world class level,“ said van der Poel.

According to van der Poel, Europe’s nano-electronics industry is ready for the challenges ahead and with this in mind he said that preparations for a successor programme of MEDEA+, which ends in 2008, are on track.

Market specific projects the programme is already looking at include automotive electronics and forms of low power and secure wireless comms systems.

In the area of semiconductor process technology, where Medea+ has already played a key role in ensuring Euroepan Fabs operate a the 90nm and 65nm nodes, projects in EUV lithography can match R&D coming out of the US or Asia.

Started in January 2001 and running until 2008, the Medea+ programme channels both public EU money and private funds into microelectronics research & development projects.