Reducing Technological Dependencies and Expanding Europe’s Innovation Capacity

New policy initiatives such as Germany’s High-Tech Agenda and the further development of the EU Chips Act are placing greater emphasis on strengthening the entire microelectronics value chain. The aim is to strengthen the long-term competitiveness of Europe’s microelectronics sector and accelerate innovation cycles. European pilot lines play a central role by providing new development and testing environments for industry and research, helping accelerate the transfer of innovations into market-ready applications.

Europe’s Semiconductor Future Requires a Shared Strategy

How Europe can move more quickly from technological potential to industrial implementation in key technologies is at the heart of FIRST by FMD. With this strategic forum, Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD) is creating a new format that links technological developments with strategic questions. The event brings together a broad range of European decision-makers from industry, research, and policy to discuss the next phase of semiconductor development and align priorities across the entire microelectronics value chain.

“Europe’s future in microelectronics will be decided not just by roadmaps and in the labs, but by joint efforts of industry and scientific organizations to rapidly translate research excellence into scalable industrial technologies”, says Prof. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.

Sessions, panels, and moderated discussions will address:

• current developments and industrial policy frameworks in the European semiconductor industry;
• the European Chips Act, European roadmaps, and global competitive dynamics;
• technological resilience and production and scaling capabilities in Europe;
• strategic cooperation across the microelectronics value chain

The program also includes networking opportunities and a closer look at recent advances in areas such as advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration.

FIRST: Where Europe Defines Its Future

FIRST by FMD will serve as a new European forum for strategic dialogue on the future of Europe’s semiconductor industry. The event will connect key stakeholders and create space for exchange, cooperation, and shared perspectives.

Confirmed speakers include representatives from the European Commission, the Chips Joint Undertaking, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, and leading companies and organizations such as GlobalFoundries, Intel, Siemens Healthineers, AT&S, NXP, Rohde & Schwarz, ZVEI, and Silicon Saxony.

FIRST by FMD will take place on September 30 and October 1, 2026, at the EUREF Campus in Berlin. FMD is organizing the forum through the APECS Pilot Line (Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration for Electronic Components and Systems). Being established under the EU Chips Act, APECS is developing practical solutions to address these challenges.

About the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD)

FMD, a collaboration among 13 Fraunhofer institutes and the Leibniz institutes FBH and IHP, is the central point of contact for all questions related to micro- and nanoelectronics research and development in Germany and Europe. As a one-stop shop, FMD brings together the research excellence, technological expertise, and system capabilities of its cooperating institutes to develop customized, integrated solutions tailored to specific needs. Since its establishment as a virtual umbrella organization in 2017, FMD has become one of the largest research networks of its kind. Today, it brings together more than 5,400 employees and a unique range of expertise and infrastructure.

Under the EU Chips Act, FMD is implementing APECS, the pilot line for Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration for Electronic Components and Systems, as a comprehensive infrastructure for resilient and trusted heterogeneous systems. APECS is strengthening the innovation capacity of European industry across a wide range of application areas and serves as an essential building block for Europe’s technological resilience.

For more information, visit www.forschungsfabrik-mikroelektronik.de