Nearly 200 guests gathered on the Aix-Marseille-Provence Campus on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, to celebrate the anniversary of the centre dedicated to research and innovation in microelectronics in the Southern Region.
Twenty years old—the prime of life?
In any case, it is a wonderful chapter that the staff and their guests wanted to celebrate together.
After unveiling the institution’s new plaque in the presence of David Delafosse, Campus Director, Hervé Granier, Mayor of Gardanne, and Roger Meï, Honorary Mayor of Gardanne, the guests made their way to the main building.
They visited the nine stands bringing together startups hosted in our TEAM incubator as well as partners, before meeting again in the Sainte-Victoire hall.
Several speeches were then delivered in succession by David Delafosse, Campus Director; Jacques Fayolle, Director of Mines Saint-Étienne; Dominique Feillet, Director of the CMP; Hervé Granier, Mayor of Gardanne; Roger Meï, Honorary Mayor of Gardanne; and finally Georges Cristiani, Regional Councillor delegated for relations with municipalities and Mayor of Mimet.
Microelectronics is a strategic sector for the economic sovereignty of France and Europe. Europe has also recently approved €8.1 billion in state aid for this sector in order to reduce dependence on Asian producers. Innovating in this sector has therefore become essential, particularly in the Southern Region, which accounts for 35% of France’s semiconductor production.
Jacques Fayolle, Director of Mines Saint-Étienne
And David Delafosse emphasised the major role played by research and innovation in ensuring more responsible digital technology in the decades to come: “The environmental footprint of digital technology is increasing very rapidly. If we want to continue using the digital services embedded in our daily lives, we will need to rethink equipment, networks, services and uses. This requires combining technical expertise, close ties with industry to take into account the realities it faces, and support for change for staff and uses. We train our engineers by integrating all of these dimensions .”
The arrival of a magnificent cake and its sparkling fountains brought the series of speeches to a close.
The audience then gathered around a dinner buffet to talk and reminisce about the good times shared, past and to come.
Staff and students ended this wonderful day at the TiBar.
Please note that a conference on the theme of decarbonisation, led by Claude Imauven, current Chair of the Board of Orano, was held the following day at 2:00 PM on campus.
Did you know?
The Centre of Microelectronics in Provence was founded in 2003 as part of Gardanne’s economic transition towards the microelectronics industry after the closure of the mines, at the initiative of Mayor Roger Meï, then a Member of Parliament (1997–2002). Initially housed at the Saint-Pierre centre in Biver, the CMP moved to its current site after two years of work. It was inaugurated by Georges Charpak, Nobel Prize in Physics in 1992.
A 6-hectare campus with:
- 21,000 square metres of buildings, including 700 square metres of cleanroom space
- 4 degrees
- Nearly 400 students, including 300 engineering students (25% women, 15% international students and 30% scholarship holders)
- 12 student associations
- 1 Junior Enterprise: Junior Études Provence
- 157 student housing units
- 192 School staff and partner-company employees are on campus every day
- €3 million in research contracts per year
- 1 incubator: 10 startups supported
- 4,500 m2 of photovoltaic panels producing 1,300 MWh per year
- 6 sheep for eco-grazing
- 12 beehives
- 300 litres of dew water collected daily by the photovoltaic panels and used to wash the floors
