IMEC was established in Leuven, near Brussels, by the Flemish government. Its charter was to work with local industry, universities and colleges to create a region that was richly skilled in microelectronics and its attendant technologies. The non-profit organisation was established with an initial budget of E62 million and now, 19 years later, is the largest independent microelectronics research and development centre in Europe. Around 1250 people work there, including 130 PhD students and 250 industrial researchers, collaborating with more than 450 partners worldwide. And although its staffing has grown considerably, its government funding hasn't -the centre's E145 million budget (2003) is now mainly funded from its commercial research activities.
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