{"id":538853,"date":"2026-02-18T09:31:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T08:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silicon-saxony.de\/enccc-annual-conference-strengthening-the-european-semiconductor-network\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T09:31:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T08:31:10","slug":"enccc-annual-conference-strengthening-the-european-semiconductor-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silicon-saxony.de\/en\/enccc-annual-conference-strengthening-the-european-semiconductor-network\/","title":{"rendered":"ENCCC annual conference: Strengthening the European semiconductor network"},"content":{"rendered":"

ENCCC Annual Meeting: Strengthening the European semiconductor network<\/b><\/h3>\n

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.\n<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Review of the first year
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n

The program began with contributions from Chips JU and aCCCess. After introductory remarks by Dr. Jari Kinaret, Executive Director of Chips JU, R\u00e9gis 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.\n<\/p>\n

Katharina Neubert and Matthias K\u00fcnzel (aCCCess | VDI\/VDE Innovation + Technik) then gave a transparent overview of the network’s performance. They presented KPIs and a 360\u00b0 snapshot of the competence centers. Their analysis showed tangible progress, but also identified areas where stronger coordination and greater visibility are still required.<\/p>\n

Panel discussion: Experiences from the ramp-up phase
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"(c)<\/p>\n

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 Masa\u0159\u00edk (Czech Semiconductor Centre) and Josephine Vassallo Parnis (Malta Semiconductor Competence Centre).\n<\/p>\n

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.\n<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

CCC pitch session: initial results and practical insights
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n

In the CCC pitch session, moderated by Eda \u00c7\u0131\u011f T\u00fcrkta\u015f (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.\n<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Strengthening integration along the value chain<\/b><\/h3>\n

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