The Areas of Excellence are communities of voluntary experts, uniting diverse partners from research and industry. These groups share skills and interests in technological topics crucial and strategic for SILICON ALPS. In 2023, four Areas of Excellence will persist: RFID, Smart Systems & System Integration, Cleanroom Technology, and Cyber Security.

Within the scope of the Areas of Excellence, the emphasis is on:

• Disseminating best practices, competencies, capabilities, and new knowledge.
• Enhancing innovation by enabling project collaborations.
• Heightening awareness for the region’s key technologies and competencies, a lure for tomorrow’s specialists.

The principal objective is to spark collaborations in projects, ranging from large collaborations in extensive lead projects to smaller consortia developing specific product ideas. Other endeavors include the transfer of know-how, such as part of an FFG innovation course, and awareness-building projects for marketing and HR cooperation with schools.

SILICON ALPS is dedicated to attracting interest and mobilizing the right actors for the most relevant and innovative topics for the SILICON ALPS region. The independent implementation of the resulting ideas in projects, including management, is carried out by project consortia, with cluster support for dissemination if needed.

Each Area of Excellence conducts its activities through preparatory meetings (usually biannually) and special workshops, with content collaboratively developed by group members. These events, featuring keynotes and group discussions, aim to enhance member interaction on key topics and generate concrete cooperation ideas. To efficiently tackle challenges from various application areas and enable technologies and solutions from the SILICON ALPS network, close collaboration with application-oriented clusters and professional associations is pursued.

Additionally, the groups initiate projects to promote the key technologies of the SILICON ALPS partners.