Microelectronics Symposia – the ForLab Conference Series
Once a year, the ForLab Network organizes a symposium titled “Microelectronics Research in Germany: From the Basics to Applications” (FTME). The most recent one took place in March 2026 in Bochum.
These conferences bring together representatives of microelectronics research from German universities and industry to discuss trends, opportunities, and challenges in supporting early-career researchers. Active networking between German universities and other network initiatives in microelectronics is a key focus, alongside the promotion of young talent, societal aspects, and technical topics.
We—the ForLab network—use the symposium to highlight the importance of cooperation among universities with a focus on microelectronics research as well as the training of highly qualified specialists for the semiconductor industry. Stakeholders from research and industry come together to identify needs and ideas for future developments and to explore potential synergies.
The spotlight is also consistently on technologies, especially since this is where cleanroom managers from ForLab member institutions meet and exchange ideas. In addition, projects from the “For Mikro 2” (Research for New Microelectronics) funding line of the BMFTR were presented.