Army turns to Imec: Leuven chip centre gets ten million euros a year for defence research
The Leuven research centre, which long kept military work at arm's length, signs a five-year partnership on sensors, AI and secure communications.
The Belgian Defence ministry and Leuven research centre Imec signed a five-year cooperation agreement on Friday at the Heverlee barracks. Imec, known worldwide for research into chips and nanoelectronics, will develop technology for the army and will receive 10 million euros a year for it. That money comes from ODIN, the defence innovation organisation the federal government set up earlier this year, which is getting 3.7 billion euros over ten years, VRT NWS reports. Defence minister Theo Francken (N-VA) called it a historic day.
According to Imec's press release, the cooperation centres on sensors, artificial intelligence, secure connectivity and reliable positioning. One of the first projects is battlefield communications that the enemy cannot disrupt, alongside research into small radar and laser systems, partly to detect drone attacks. Imec will only handle development; production is for start-ups or established defence companies, and Francken wants Belgian firms to get priority, The Brussels Times writes. Imec will also set up doctoral programmes and act as a technology expert in defence forums.
The move is striking because Imec was reluctant about military applications for decades, VRT NWS notes. Chief executive Patrick Vandenameele says the turnaround among staff went more smoothly than expected, influenced by geopolitical events. When soldiers will be able to use the technology in the field is not yet clear: according to Vandenameele such research takes years, at least two in chip technology, and only if the basic research has already been done.