Boosting EU nanoelectronic expertise through innovative training

(Nanowerk News) Micro and nano-electronics are two of the fastest-moving and innovative technology sectors. What is more, they have a direct impact on the consumer. The mobile phone industry for example has been transformed in little over a decade, thanks in large part to advancements made in this sector. Consumers continually demand and expect that each new product is smaller, cheaper and faster than its predecessor.
This demand is helping to drive innovation among microelectronic device manufacturers. In order to continually meet expectations and keep up with the competition however, these manufacturers need to be able to rely on a new generation of high tech workers capable of making the next product line a reality. This is where the EU-funded EUROTRAINING project comes in.
The three-year project was launched in January 2013. It brings together five partners: COREP from Turin (Italy) and FSRM from Neuchâtel (Switzerland), both specialised in continuous education and technology transfer; the technical universities of Budapest (Hungary) and Denmark; and the research organisation CEA-LETI situated in Grenoble (France). The overall aim of the EUROTRAINING project is to boost European competitiveness by providing access to training that supports the industrial take-up of micro and nano-electronics applications.
In order to make high quality training in this field available, EUROTRAINING has developed a multimedia internet platform that offers pan-European access to nearly all English language training provided by national course providers. These courses are targeted at engineers from industry as well as researchers and university teachers. Some training activities should also help to raise awareness of the role of micro and nano-electronics among the general public.
In fact, the platform provides links to over 1 000 training courses, summer schools, downloadable courses and university teaching materials. Users can easily navigate using the course catalogue, while multimedia courses are also readily available. Two very important EUROTRAINING assets are the European Course Directory containing nearly 500 updated training courses and the accredited Quality Labelling service.
The website also contains updated information on graduate university courses, course material, continued training offers and 'training the trainers' programmes. Course providers can announce their training events for free on the platform and universities have the possibility of quickly disseminating their knowledge and expertise by uploading and downloading freely available teaching materials. A training material exchange service for graduate schools is also available, as is training support for EU enterprises with operations in the Far East. The platform's structure aims to support both professional advancement as well as academic training.
Supporting the competitiveness and innovation capabilities of European industry is a strategic objective of the EU, as is empowering citizens with knowledge, skills and competences in new information technologies. The EUROTRAINING project will contribute to this by ensuring that European companies in the fast-moving field of micro and nano-electronics remain competitive on the world market.
Source: Cordis