Imec Reports 14 Percent Growth in 2015

LEUVEN, Belgium (April 29, 2016) — World leading nanoelectronics research center imec and its board of directors today announced the company’s financial results for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2015. Imec’s revenue for 2015 totaled 415 million euro, marking 14 percent growth over the previous year. Adding an additional 230 employees, imec boosted its year-end count to 2,417. The company’s strong growth was driven by continued technology innovation, achievements, and strategic partnerships. 

The fiscal year-end revenue total includes revenue generated through R&D contracts with industrial partners and various universities worldwide, and ASIC and system design, prototyping and low-volume manufacturing services for SMEs and universities. Additionally, funds from European research initiatives, the yearly grant from the Flemish government (47.7 million euro), and Dutch public funding (2.75 million euro) to support imec The Netherlands at Holst Centre, an open innovation initiative setup by imec and TNO celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2016, are attributed to the year-end totals. Collaboration and technical achievements are core to imec’s successful 2015. 

In addition to the financial growth, there were noteworthy collaborations with companies worldwide and the launch of  miDiagnostics together with Johns Hopkins University, developing a disposable chip for blood testing . Imec executives, scientists and researchers also published 998 prominent scientific papers and filed a record number of 180 European patents, underscoring their thought leadership on nanoelectronics and its applications topics. 
“2015 has been a fantastic year and we are determined to continue the advancement of disruptive solutions through groundbreaking research and development,” stated Luc Van den hove, president and CEO at imec. “Together with our partners, we will overcome the next technological challenges and support them with sustainable solutions for the smart city, smart health, smart grid, smart mobility, smart manufacturing, … smart everything. With our talented team of researchers, prospects for groundbreaking research, and the recent merger announcement with iMinds, imec is poised for even more growth in the coming year.” 

2015 Organizational Highlights:

• As an international scientific hub, 73 nationalities are now represented at imec, a multicultural environment, attracting top global talent
• 998 peer-reviewed papers and conference presentations were published 
• Imec and the organization’s researchers received 23 awards, including many best paper awards at important scientific conferences. 
• With a record of 180 filed patents, imec confirmed its position at the top for Belgian applicants of European patents in 2015 and strengthening its portfolio of R&D offerings.