Indiana University Partners With Imec for Chip Research

The collaboration enables university researchers to conduct radiation testing on advanced photonic and electronic components.

Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Semiconductors

Indiana University Partners With Imec for Chip Research

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Indiana University has entered a research partnership with imec, a Belgium-based semiconductor research center, to advance microelectronics and defense-related studies. The initial project focuses on testing electronic and photonic components under radiation.

Why it matters

The collaboration is designed to scale Indiana University’s microelectronics research capacity and support future defense-related technology development. By pooling resources with imec, the university aims to generate data to bolster upcoming research proposals and academic publications.

The partnership involves testing electronic and photonic components under radiation, leveraging imec’s 42-year track record in semiconductor development since its founding in 1984. The specific radiation threshold levels for these components are currently under investigation.

The players

Indiana University

A public research university based in Bloomington that is currently expanding its microelectronics and defense-related technology stack.

imec

A Leuven-based research center specializing in semiconductor and nanotechnology innovation.

IU CREATE

The Indiana University research center leading the collaborative radiation testing project.

IU Inc.

The entity facilitating the partnership by connecting university researchers with startups and corporate partners.

The details

IU CREATE, the university’s dedicated research center, is leading the project. Researchers will subject electronic and photonic components—devices that use light to perform functions similar to traditional electronic circuits—to radiation environments to determine their reliability. IU Inc. acts as the intermediary, connecting the university's research staff and students with external technical partners to facilitate these experiments.

October 28, 2026: Indiana University announced the partnership with imec.
1984: Imec was founded in Leuven, Belgium.
January 2026: The Federal Aviation Administration designated the Indiana Economic Development Corp. as a drone test site.

The Tech Race

This partnership mirrors the state's ongoing efforts to establish a foothold in defense-related technology research. It follows a pattern set by the drone test site designation, as both initiatives signal Indiana's push into defense and advanced hardware.

The partnership allows university researchers and students to gain immediate hands-on access to advanced photonic and electronic testing workflows. These research findings will eventually inform the design of future defense-related technologies, though no specific timeline for product applications has been set.

The takeaway

The collaboration marks a significant expansion in the university's defense-tech capabilities by integrating specialized radiation testing. Observers should track the upcoming joint publications and research proposals to assess the project's long-term technical output.