MINATEC micro and nanotechnology innovation campus

In 1999, Jean Therme—then Director of CEA-Leti—came up with the idea for MINATEC after realizing that there was enormous untapped potential to be had from combining technological resources with research know-how and academic programs in engineering. Over the next three years, he gave more than a hundred presentations highlighting the benefits his campus would bring. He secured the buy-in of CEA Grenoble, Grenoble Institute of Technology, and local government agencies—and with it, the €150 million investment needed to break ground on the new campus.

Today MINATEC boasts an annual operating budget of €300 million, including €50 million in capital expenditures, and has grown to become Europe’s leading innovation campus for micro and nanotechnology. By bringing together experts from higher education, research, and industry on a single site, MINATEC offers a unique innovation ecosystem with the shared technology platforms and expertise to drive the collaborative projects that will foster tomorrow’s technological breakthroughs.

350 patents and 1,600 research articles per year

MINATEC researchers file nearly 350 patent applications and author more than 1,600 scientific articles every year. MINATEC has also sparked a multitude of new businesses developing micro and nanotechnology applications in fields like optronics, biotech, components, circuit design, and motion sensing. The campus is also highly visible in the international scientific community, thanks in part to the active role played by CEA-Leti, a recognized center for cutting-edge innovation.

In 2008 MINATEC hired a team of permanent staff to coordinate campus activities and oversee communications, under the watchful eye of Jean-Charles Guibert.

Organizational structure

In 2008 MINATEC hired a team of permanent staff to coordinate campus activities and oversee communications, under the watchful eye of Jean-Charles Guibert, Director, MINATEC.

The role of MINATEC’s permanent staff is to foster the emergence of new synergies, handle all internal campus communications, promote the campus’ activities, and boost the campus’ visibility on an international level. A dedicated events department provides comprehensive services for organizing scientific conferences, and puts on hundreds of such events each year. Some 40,000 visitors from around the globe flocked to MINATEC in 2011 alone.

An Executive Committee represents the campus and coordinates MINATEC’s operating divisions.