Goals of the Society for Micro- and Nanoelectronics

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 initially defined its tasks as follows:

• Support of university-based high-technology research in the areas of micro- and nanoelectronics, semiconductor technology, sensors, and opto-electronics;
• Construction and operation of research facilities;
• Support and consulting for industry, in particular, for small and medium enterprises, within the area of micro- and nanoelectronics.

The central task of the GMe was initially the creation and maintenance of infra-structure for an internationally competitive micro- and nanoelectronics technology. The funds provided by the GMe supported a variety of projects and activities in the fields of semiconductor technology, sensors, and opto-electronics. The limited budget of the GMe restricted its direct funding to contributions to the maintenance of technological infrastructure of university-based institutions; nevertheless, the support provided by the GMe frequently stimulated 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 benefitted indirectly from the operation of the GMe.

By providing support for infrastructure, the activities of the GMe simultaneously aided a number of projects and activities; frequently, the support provided by the GMe was a prerequisite to an application for a project. Therefore, one of the criteria for the support of an activity by the GMe was initially a project area that needed seed money for infra-structure to obtain funding by other sources.

Due to an increasing shortage of the funding available to the GMe, infrastructure support was no more feasible. Currently, the GMe supports according to the funds available knowledge sharing in a variety of events.