ENCCC annual conference: Strengthening the European semiconductor network

ENCCC Annual Meeting: Strengthening the European semiconductor network

On February 5-6 in Brussels, the first ENCCC Annual Meeting brought together all 30 European Chips Competence Centers (CCCs) – together with representatives of the Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU), pilot lines, the EU Chips Design Platform, industry associations and key ecosystem partners.

The meeting took place as part of the ECS Brokerage Event, which was organized by Chips JU in collaboration with the three industry associations AENEAS, EPoSS and INSIDE – also associated partners of aCCCess. For the first time, the entire CCC network came together in person to look back on the first year of operation and agree on the priorities for the next phase.

Review of the first year

The program began with contributions from Chips JU and aCCCess. After introductory remarks by Dr. Jari Kinaret, Executive Director of Chips JU, Régis Hamelin (BLUMORPHO), Coordinator of aCCCess, presented the project’s first year. He highlighted how the Coordination and Support Action (CSA) supports the establishment of the ENCCC, enables structured exchange between the centers and promotes the development of a common framework in Europe.

Katharina Neubert and Matthias Künzel (aCCCess | VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik) then gave a transparent overview of the network’s performance. They presented KPIs and a 360° snapshot of the competence centers. Their analysis showed tangible progress, but also identified areas where stronger coordination and greater visibility are still required.

Panel discussion: Experiences from the ramp-up phase

The first panel, moderated by Michael Leopold (aCCCess | Silicon Alps), brought together Anton Chichkov (Chips JU), Maria Huffman (Swedish Chips Competence Centre), Mariana Fernandes (POEMS – Portugal), Karel Masařík (Czech Semiconductor Centre) and Josephine Vassallo Parnis (Malta Semiconductor Competence Centre).

The focus was on experiences from the ramp-up phase, initial market successes and strategic priorities. The panel participants spoke openly about administrative hurdles, challenges in recruiting staff, complex consortium management and ownership-related issues. At the same time, they reported strong market interest – particularly from SMEs seeking technical expertise, targeted training and access to pilot lines.

Early successes included incubation programs for start-ups, national information seminars, industry-academic working groups and growing cross-border collaboration. This illustrates that the CCC model is increasingly developing operational momentum.

CCC pitch session: initial results and practical insights

In the CCC pitch session, moderated by Eda Çığ Türktaş (aCCCess | Silicon Saxony), centers from Denmark, Ireland, Finland, Spain, Flanders, the Netherlands, Germany and Estonia presented short field reports from their first months of activity.

The contributions dealt with cooperation models, practical challenges in efficiently supporting companies and strategies for overcoming structural barriers through coordinated teamwork. The involvement of SMEs, support formats for start-ups, new training courses and service-oriented portfolios based on industrial needs were highlighted. The exchange showed how structured peer learning formats between the centers can accelerate the impact at European level.

Strengthening integration along the value chain

The concluding panel, moderated by Alessandro Dondo (aCCCess | MESAP), took a forward-looking perspective on value chain integration. Emphasis was placed in particular on:

• stronger operational synergies between CCCs and pilot lines
• clearer and simplified access points for companies
• coordinated European skills and qualification development
• deeper networking within the semiconductor ecosystem

Valuable input was provided by Giuseppe Fiorentino (NanoIC), Helio Fernandez Tellez (EuroCDP), Robert Gfrerer (AT-C³), Janis Sperga (LCCC) and Elisabeth Steimetz (EPoSS).

Practical exchange and peer voting

The second day focused on practical collaboration. Parallel CCC-to-CCC “speed dating” sessions and the centers’ first review meetings enabled targeted bilateral discussions, peer learning and constructive feedback. These formats strengthened mutual understanding and promoted further coordination of activities within the network.

Over the course of both days, it became clear that sustainable collaboration, shared expertise and coordinated action are essential for building a resilient and accessible European semiconductor ecosystem.

The ENCCC Annual Meeting marked an important milestone in this joint endeavor and created a strong foundation for the further maturation and integration of the network.

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Further links

👉 www.acccess.eu 

Photos: Silicon Saxony and Simon Pugh