>> Nexus

The European micro-nanotechnology business accelerator for small and medium-sized enterprises

Nexus
	NEXUS (Network of Excellence in Multifunctional Microsystems) is an organization established through European Community funding (currently, under the EC’s DG XIII) to promote research, development and commercialization of MEMS, MOEMS, and microsystem technologies (MST). Launched in 1992 under the ESPRIT program, NEXUS activities include roadmapping, market forecasting, technology benchmarking, coordination of standards, and dissemination of information on MEMS and microsystems through workshops, user-supplier clubs, and various MEMS-focused publications, such as MST News (initiated by NEXUS but now a VDI-VDE publication, http://www.vdivde-it.de).
	Nexus - Goals
	NEXUS’ goal is to promote microsystem technology acceptance by European industry in order to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, stimulate cooperation within the European MST community by providing appropriate infrastructure, and establish a common European MST representation. There has been a recent shift from basic academic research to industry-driven applications. These application domains include: consumer electronics, automotive components, medical and environmental applications, telecommunications, domotics (home control systems), and process control. NEXUS works to promote “take-up” of MST technology, i.e. the development and commercialization of promising MEMS and microsystems technologies by European industry.
	Nexus Community
	The NEXUS community consists of over 93 companies and 158 institutes in 31 countries. NEXUS is particularly strong in Germany, France, The Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Italy, and Spain, as a result of a high number of MST players and activities in these countries. Beginning in 1994, NEXUSEAST extended participation in the NEXUS network to include 13 laboratories and companies in Eastern Europe. NEXUSPAN, initiated in early 1995, extends access further to include Russia and other portions of the former Soviet Union, including Armenia, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Lithunia, and Ukraine.
	Nexus Office
	The task and management structure of NEXUS has been arranged with a central NEXUS office responsible for information dissemination, network management, and to serve as a common contact point. The NEXUS office receives its directives from both an Executive Board and a NEXUS Board. These controlling Boards, in turn, provide direction to task forces, and an Academic Working Group. The task forces provide market analysis of MST, benchmarking information, maintain and promote international relations (with the U.S. and Japan, mainly), as well as foster relations with Eastern Europe. The Academic Working Group provides MST training and addresses education issues, develops long term perspectives for MST, and provides a consultancy for the Boards.
	Input for MEMS Users and Suppliers
	The Academic Working Group also provides input to the MEMS User/Supplier Clubs (USC). These Clubs are designed to bring together users, suppliers and developers of microsystems, collect and survey market information, help identify MST needs for specific application areas, define technological interfaces and standardization needs, and define requirements on equipment for MST fabrication. In this way, they allow companies working in the same domain to focus their efforts and avoid duplication of effort by giving them a forum to meet and discuss issues of common interest. The User/Supplier Clubs are divided into Automotive, Medical/Environment, Instrumentation/Process Control, Peripherals/Multimedia, and Aerospace/Geophysics domains. NEXUS uses the Web for information dissemination, in the form of European MST Online (EMSTO, http://www.emsto.com), as well as by reporting MST news articles and events in various publications.
	More information on NEXUS can be obtained from http://www.nexus-mems.com.