Message from the President of IMAPS-Europe
Dear Friends,
The past year, so out of ordinary, has just ended…
Hoping that you are all well, I would like to wish you a 2021 full of life and positive things. Following up some email exchanges with Alexandre and Nihal I would like to share with you my overview about last year IMAPS Europe chapters’ activities and in the next future. Please feel free to share my comments in your Chapter Community if you deem it appropriate
Last year months have passed by without us being able to carry out many of the projects we had planned with such enthusiasm and commitment. Many Conferences have been cancelled, or moved to 2021, or beyond. However in spite of the Pandemia in 2020 we also saw several successful events being held with unusual approaches. Please refer to the “News from the Chapters of IMAPS-Europe” but just to name some of them:
- The 43rd ISSE- Online – International Spring Seminar on Electronics Technology, 14th & 15th May 2020 in Slovakia
- Power and High Temperature Conference – Online-28 May 2020 in UK
- SMTconnect goes digital, 28-29 July 2020, Germany
- Electronics Goes Green 2020+, 01 September 2020, Germany
- ESTC 2020 goes virtual, 15-18 September 2020, Norway
- MicroTech 2020 Conference Online, 16 September 2020, UK
- TIE-TIEplus-SIITME , 19-24 October , Romania
- Quiz Contest on Soldering Technology , 03 December 2020, Hungary
Many of the above events were offered for free or at very advantageous conditions to IMAPS Members and Students. Although the interpersonal relationship is largely lacking, these online events have demonstrated the ability to facilitate access to a large European audience and to be an interesting alternative to live events.
In 2021 we are not giving up and we will come back with new ideas and initiatives. We need to adopt new formulas and develop innovative technologies but … this is our daily business, and our IMAPS Community is certainly used to such challenges! This year the key event of our Society will be the European Microelectronics and Packaging Conference – EMPC2021. It will be held from 13th to 16th September in Gothenburg, Sweden. Plans are well advanced for a face to face Conference and Exhibition, but in the event that the COVID pandemic will not allow it, an innovative “on line” back-up solution has been prepared that will enable social networking for participants, speakers and exhibitors.
In addition:
- In November 2021, IMAPS-France Chapter will host its 12th workshop in Tours, France entitled ‘From Nano to Micro Power Electronics and Packaging’
- Even with the difficulties of the last year, some very active IMAPS chapters, like UK, never stopped, and almost every month they organized online workshops and tutorials. These initiatives will go on throughout 2021 and they are open to all IMAPS members. If required local chapters can support members for participation
- The IMAPS-Europe board (the ELC) has started a project to develop a platform supporting chapters’ virtual conferences and webinars. The launch of the first event is planned for Q1 of this year. Other webinars will follow at least every quarter
- Finally, other exciting Key European Events are planned for the following years. I refer particularly to MiNaPAD on March 10th -11th, 2022 in Grenoble and to EMPC2023 to be held in September 2023 in Cambridge.
The above programme shows that in spite of these difficult times, the IMAPS-Europe Chapters are lively and active. The European Liaison Committee – ELC – is strongly committed to support all co-ordinated Chapter’s initiatives for the advancement and sharing of Microelectronics Packaging Technologies. Above all, we are confident that the engineering community will support all the events as usual – by sharing Innovation, we all benefit!
Once again on behalf of all ELC board I wish you a happy, healthy, innovative, creative and successful new year!
Luigi Calligarich
President IMAPS-Europe, Chair ELC