The Society for Micro- and Nanoelectronics (GMe) was founded in 1985 as "Society for Microelectronics - Gesellschaft für Mikroelektronik" with the aim to "support microelectronics technology and its applications in an interdisciplinary way". With the shift of the focus in research from micro to nano technologies the goals of the GMe changed accordingly. In 2003, therefore, the GMe changed its name into "Society for Micro- and Nanoelectronics - Gesellschaft für Mikro- und Nanoelektronik".
The GMe defines its tasks as follows:
The central task of the GMe is the creation and maintenance of infra-structure for an internationally competitive micro- and nanoelectronics technology. The funds provided by the GMe support a variety of projects and activities in the fields of semiconductor technology, sensors, and opto-electronics. The limited budget of the GMe restricts its direct funding to contributions to the maintenance of technological infrastructure of university-based institutions; nevertheless, the support provided by the GMe frequently stimulates the domestic industry, due to a close cooperation of most of the groups supported by the GMe with small and medium enterprises. Thus, non-university organizations also benefit indirectly from the operation of the GMe.
By providing support for infrastructure, the activities of the GMe simultaneously aid a number of projects and activities; frequently, the support provided by the GMe is a prerequisite to an application for a project. Therefore, one of the criteria for the support of an activity by the GMe is a project area that needs seed money for infra-structure to obtain funding by other sources.