February 6, 2026. The future cluster SEMECO (Secure Medical Microsystems and Communications) will be funded for a further three years with up to 15 million euros as part of the Clusters4Future initiative of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). Building on the success of the first funding phase, SEMECO is focusing on the concept of the medical semiconductor as a key technology.
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Medical semiconductors are specialized, manufacturer-independent microsystems that specifically align sensor technology, data processing, communication and safety to the special requirements of medical technology. Building on this, SEMECO pursues a platform-based, modular approach in which medical semiconductor, electronic and software components are developed separately in terms of function, securely combined and gradually developed further. AI-supported methods to support certification and approval help to accelerate the transfer into practice. Specific application examples include securely networked, modular medical devices, wearable ultrasound devices and medical sensors as well as smart communication implants for people with impaired hearing and speech.
“In the first funding phase, SEMECO was able to show that the close integration of modern semiconductor and secure communication technologies enables new applications in medical technology. The funding approval is a strong signal for us to continue on our chosen path. In the second implementation phase, we will sharpen our platform approach and systematically move medical semiconductors towards application, standardization and the market,” say cluster spokespersons Prof. Gerhard Fettweis and Prof. Jochen Hampe.
Together, the SEMECO cluster partners are pursuing the ambitious goal of making long development and approval processes, complex individual solutions and rigidly structured device systems more efficient through modular approaches for electronics platforms, thus significantly facilitating further development, scaling and regulatory assessment.
“SEMECO directly links medical issues with cutting-edge technological research. Early interdisciplinary collaboration between experts in medicine and technology with industry partners creates the prerequisites for aligning innovations with actual clinical needs and quickly transforming them into marketable solutions,” says Prof. Esther Troost, Dean of the Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden. “This is an outstanding example of the interaction between the Faculty of Medicine and the technical disciplines at TU Dresden.”
“SEMECO fits seamlessly into the collaborative and excellence cluster structures at TU Dresden and is exemplary of our aspiration to drive forward interdisciplinary cutting-edge research together with partners from science and industry, thereby providing sustainable impetus for Dresden as a science and business location. The second funding phase creates the necessary conditions to further develop both the processes initiated in the first funding phase of the cluster and the processes initiated at TUD to strengthen transdisciplinary research and transfer in the field of medical semiconductor technology,” says Prof. Angela Rösen-Wolff, Vice-Rector for Research and Technology Transfer at TU Dresden.
The Silicon Saxony region around Dresden is one of the leading microelectronics locations in Europe and combines excellent research, suppliers and industrial production along the entire value chain. This environment enables SEMECO to develop integrated chip and platform solutions for medical technology and to consider regulatory requirements from the outset. The cluster opens up new fields of application for the semiconductor industry based at the site and specifically promotes the transfer of research results into industrial and medical applications. SEMECO brings together renowned industrial partners and technology-driven start-ups and acts as a connecting element in the region’s microelectronics ecosystem. By actively shaping the strategic cooperation with Silicon Saxony, the region’s largest high-tech network, SEMECO is consolidating its role as a central player in the regional innovation landscape. The Free State of Saxony has been strategically supporting the expansion of the semiconductor industry in Dresden for years and sees SEMECO as an important building block for new, future-relevant applications.
With the Clusters4Future initiative, the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) promotes excellent, primarily regional innovation ecosystems. SEMECO (Secure Medical Microsystems and Communications) is one of a total of 14 funded future clusters. The second of up to three possible implementation phases will start in May 2026. In total, SEMECO can be funded with up to 45 million euros over a period of up to nine years.
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👉 https://semeco.info
Photo: Anja StĂĽbner / EKFZ
