Skills for the World

More than 600 universities across Europe rely on STFC’s Microelectronics Support Centre (MSC). The centre supplies and supports the commercial design tool software used by microelectronics design engineers at an affordable price. This helps to produce highly trained, highly skilled graduates for UK and European design companies.

Based at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, MSC also trains the trainers and offers handson, practical courses so that lecturers and researchers get the most out of the software.

Microelectronics, in the form of silicon chips, is an essential part of modern day life – from mobile phones to cars – and is also enabling research in many areas of science and medicine.

Modern microelectronics design is complex and constantly changing so few universities can support or maintain their own dedicated support system. MSC therefore provides a vital resource and infrastructure to universities and research institutes and has done for more than 20 years.

"This essential infrastructure has enabled UK university staff to undertake industry relevant activities and form spin-out companies which can build upon the pool of design expertise in the academic sector," said Chris Toumazou, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London.

MSC Information

• Almost all of Europe’s microelectronics engineering graduates have been trained on MSC supported design software
  
  
• The MSC’s EUROPRACTICE Software Service, largely funded by end user subscriptions with a contribution from the EC, encourages knowledge exchange between universities and from university to industry
  
  
• The MSC partners with 20 of the world’s leading microelectronics and microsystems companies to make advanced design tools and flows available to the academic community