EUROPRACTICE 2012 · EUROPRACTICE CAD and prototyping services for European universities and research institutes

This proposal is submitted to follow on from the current EUROPRACTICE IC5 Service and to introduce the new design toolsand fabrication processes required to keep the design infrastructure for the European academic sector relevant for the needsof industry.The current EUROPRACTICE IC5 Service project, part of the 7th Framework and ending on 31 December 2011, is widelyrecognized as a world-leading service offering state-of-the-art CAD tools and microelectronics-based technologies touniversities and industry. Today, through the EC funding of the EUROPRACTICE IC5 project, 640 European academicinstitutions (512 universities and 128 research institutes) have access to this Service. Continuation of this service is essential(as confirmed by the strong letters of support from 130 academic institutions) as universities need to be able to renew theirannual CAD licenses to support of their research and training courses and need to get further IC prototyping services for theirresearch projects, including those funded by other EC projects. As the budget for CSA activities in Call 8 is very limited, theproposal covers only 1.5 years of full operation (2012 until mid 2013).The objectives are offering access to CAD tools for training and research, and access to advanced IC and More-then-Mooretechnologies for prototyping for all European academic institutions wishing to be engaged in electronic system ormicroelectronics design.As a broker, EUROPRACTICE negotiates low cost conditions with the most popular industry-standard CAD vendors foreducational use and non-commercial research within the current Membership of 640 European academic institutions.EUROPRACTICE also negotiates with several foundries to buy or share low cost MPW (Multi Project Wafer) runs in order tooffer low cost prototype possibilities to universities and research institutes in advanced IC and More-than-Moore technologies.