Project abstract:

The shortage of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) skills is now understood as the most critical factor hindering the growth of the European economy. The microelectronics industry, which is fuelling the growth of the ICT sector, is particularly hit because it is not only confronted with a strongly increasing demand for specialists, but in addition with a stagnating supply. The project LIMA aims to overcome this bottleneck by implementing training in three leading educational centres under the guidance of industry in three critical disciplines of microelectronics design and test. The partners have chosen three most important areas where training at universities and industry laboratories is urgently necessary: Design under EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) constraints, RF design, and Analogue/mixed signal design. These topics essentially supplement each other in future System on Silicon design.

Objectives:

The general objectives of LIMA are: To strengthen three leading educational centres in three dependent critical disciplines of microelectronic design and test with active support, guidance and feedback from industry.
The leading educational centres are: FhG IZM in Paderborn; D, Johannes Kepler Universität in Linz, A; and FhG IIS / EAS in Dresden, D.
The critical disciplines are: Design under EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) constraints, RF design, and Analogue/mixed signal design. These topics essentially supplement each other in future System on Silicon design.
The industrial partners are: EADS Matra, F, and Zuken, D and UK for EMC; Dice, A, Zuken, UK, and Infineon, D, for RF design; and Nokia, D, for Analogue/mixed signal design.

Description of work:

Training material for the three important design areas have to be prepared and integrated into a Web-based training platform which has to be specified, developed and filled with content following the educational and industrial needs. Within LIMA an existing software will be modified from a CbT (Computer-based Training) unit towards meeting the needs of a WbT (Web-based Training) System. Existing features will be redesigned and adapted due to the special needs of microelectronics design. The partners in the project will prepare their content for Web-based training, integrate it into the platform to be used in learning and training courses. Since the three disciplines are key for System on Silicon design (SoC design is not possible without expertise in all three) the proposed educational centres will work closely together in preparation, test and dissemination, as well as providing teaching, learning and training courses. They are supported by leading industrial partners. These industrial partners have specific knowledge in the three disciplines, and support the centres concerning course material, the test and use of this material for in-house courses and customer training.
With the outcome of this project potential users, graduates and designers, gain fundamental knowledge by participating in the experience of the relevant industries: A student as well as a learning employee are using the same methods of a design process - integrated into the training system - in the same manner. As a result there is a significant contribution of increased efficiency to the design of industrial developing processes. This is due to the fact that the user can concentrate personally and independently on the offered teaching material. EUROTRAINING, FKN (Fraunhofer Knowledge and Learning Network), and the Eureka Programme of MEDEA+ are planned to be used as exploitation channels.