Emmanuel Macron, Frank-Walter Steinmeier Visit Fraunhofer in Dresden

Following an invitation from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, French President Emmanuel Macron made the first official French state visit to Germany in 24 years.

During their three-day schedule, both presidents also visited the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS in Dresden to highlight the importance of collaboration between France and Germany in ensuring Europe’s technological sovereignty, particularly in the field of microelectronics.

Dresden is one of Europe’s most important locations for the semiconductor industry and thus key to strengthening Europe’s technological independence. One of Macron’s priorities as president is Europe’s sovereignty in technological development.

During his visit, he stressed the importance of Franco-German collaboration in achieving this. So it is no coincidence that the only item on the agenda of the state visit relating to technology and science took place in Dresden.

At Fraunhofer IPMS, the two presidents, together with high-ranking representatives from government, science and industry, were given demonstrations of high-tech research in the fields of microelectronics, medical engineering and quantum technologies.

Researchers presented the latest semiconductor components manufactured on wafers, sensor rings for condition monitoring in mechanical engineering, and a laser scanner microscope for real-time detection of cancer cells in the operating room.

The Fraunhofer institute has a long-standing collaboration with the leading French research institute CEA-Leti (Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives CEA) — for example, with microelectronics on 300 mm wafers.

The joint projects also have great European relevance within the framework of the EU Chips Act. The initiative aims to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness in semiconductor applications and prevent bottlenecks in this field.

As a contribution to the EU Chips Act, a European consortium under the leadership of the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD) plans to establish the most comprehensive and advanced pilot line for advanced heterogeneous system integration and advanced packaging over the coming years. CEA-Leti is an important partner in this project.

To further promote and enhance collaboration between the Fraunhofer and CEA institutes, François Jacq, president of the CEA, and Prof. Axel Müller-Groeling, EVP for research iand digital transformation at Fraunhofer, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) during the visit.

“Collaboration across national borders helps to shape our future,” said Prof. Müller-Groeling. “Our close links with partners, such as the CEA on the one hand and industry on the other, enable us to work together to translate key technologies into practical applications and strengthen our position as a driver of innovation in European industry.”