20 Years of NaMLab gGmbH: Innovative Microelectron­ics Lab Celebrates Milestone Anniversary with Director Prof. Thomas Mikolajick and His Team

On September 2, 2026, Nanoelectronic Materials Laboratory gGmbH (NaMLab) celebrated its 20th anniversary with a commemorative event.

NaMLab gGmbH was founded in July 2006 as the first scientific joint venture between TU Dresden and an industrial company, Qimonda Dresden GmbH. Since 2009, the research institute has been a wholly owned subsidiary of TUD Dresden University of Technology. The Free State of Saxony has provided institutional funding to NaMLab gGmbH since 2009.

Prof. Thomas Mikolajick, scientific director of NaMLab gGmbH, said at the ceremony: “Over the past 20 years, NaMLab gGmbH has successfully demonstrated that industry-oriented basic research in microelectronics can be both scientifically excellent and relevant to industry.”

Minister of Science Sebastian Gemkow: “Microelectronics is a key technology for societal prosperity and international resilience. NaMLab gGmbH, the world’s first joint venture between a leading microelectronics manufacturer and a university, is one of the success stories resulting from the Free State’s long-standing commitment to this field. This subsidiary of TU Dresden bridges the gap in Saxony between materials research and circuit design all the way to the system level. NaMLab conducts research on the very elements that define microelectronics: transistors and memory cells. There are only a few places in Europe where this kind of research is still being conducted. The relevance of this work is underscored by close collaboration with Infineon, GlobalFoundries, as well as Intel, Samsung, and Sony. Saxony thus boasts one of the most internationally successful institutions for industrial basic research in the field of materials and components for microelectronics. This bridge between cutting-edge research and practical application must be further strengthened.”

TUD Rector Prof. Ursula Staudinger: “I extend my warmest congratulations to NaMLab and my colleague Thomas Mikolajick on their 20th anniversary. With the founding of NaMLab as the first nonprofit public-private partnership of its kind between a technical university and an international semiconductor company, TUD became the first German university to pioneer a groundbreaking approach to collaboration between academia and industry in microelectronics as early as 2006. This innovative, pioneering model has given rise to a highly visible and successful research institution that combines scientific excellence with a deep understanding of the semiconductor industry’s requirements and processes. As a wholly owned subsidiary of TUD, NaMLab is today an important component of our research profile in microelectronics. NaMLab plays a key role in further strengthening our position in this strategic, future-oriented field at the intersection of outstanding basic research and industrial application, and in advancing Europe’s technological sovereignty and international competitiveness.”

Significant Contributions to Research – Outstanding Publication Record

The research institute is internationally renowned and respected for its pioneering research on thin ferroelectric layers based on hafnium oxide. Work is currently underway worldwide on their use in microelectronic memory technologies and related components. In addition, it has made significant contributions to research on reconfigurable microelectronic components and to the development of new materials for power electronics.

Today, the research institute collaborates with industrial partners in Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. Since its founding 20 years ago, the institute’s publications have been cited over 45,000 times (source: Elsevier’s Scopus). The research institute, with its approximately 40 employees, currently employs two “highly cited researchers” (Source: Clarivate Web of Science).

Contact:
Dr. Alexander Ruf
Senior Scientist & Financial Director
NaMLab gGmbH | a TU Dresden company
Phone: +49 351 2124990-11

www.namlab.com