€4.6m investment in R&D to strengthen ST Microelectronics presence in Malta - Government

The government said this evening that an investment of €4.6 million which it will be making in a research and development programme over the next three years will strengthen the presence of ST Microelectronics in Malta. The project, called Lab4MEMS, has been approved by ENIAC, a European grouping of industry and academia in the sector of microelectronics. Lab4MEMS is coordinated by STMicroelectronics in Italy, with the participation of STMicroelectronics in Malta and the Department of Micro and Nanoelectronics at the University of Malta. The purpose of Lab4MEMS is to establish a network for research and development of advanced technologies used in technologies known as MEMS. Finance Minister Tonio Fenech recalled how in 2009, at the height of the international financial crisis, the government had held intensive talks with the international management of ST Microelectronics which enabled the company to stay in Malta and invest further, with government assistance. This new investment in R&D would further strengthen the presence of ST in Malta.