SAL OPENS LARGEST RESEARCH CLEANROOM IN VILLACH

The mayor of Villach expressed pride, stating that SAL's state-of-the-art research center opened the largest cleanroom in Austria on Wednesday, October 18th, at the tpv Technology Park Villach/High Tech Campus in Villach, marking a significant milestone for cutting-edge research. "This investment strengthens Villach's position in research and technology, not only consolidating our city's status as a dynamic high-tech hub, but also extending its influence far beyond national borders. We are delighted to host Austria's largest cleanroom at the tpv Technology Park Villach, contributing to advancing domestic cutting-edge research."

Covering an area of 1,100 square meters, SAL's new cleanroom provides space for innovative research and development with state-of-the-art technology. The official opening ceremony was attended by numerous distinguished guests from politics and business, including Henriette Spyra, Head of Section III – Innovation and Technology at the BMK, Gaby Schaunig, Deputy Governor of Carinthia, and Christina Hirschl, Managing Director of Silicon Austria Labs.

The new research cleanroom serves not only as a sterile environment for SAL's Micro Nano Fabrication Center for researching and developing innovative technologies but also offers its facilities to industrial partners without their own cleanrooms for small-scale production. This positions SAL in Villach at the intersection of research and development and serial production. "The projects implemented in recent years demonstrate the importance of collaboration between researchers and the business sector, setting new industry standards. The new cleanroom in Villach is another significant step forward for SAL, providing optimal conditions for semiconductor research, testing new materials, and prototyping," says Christina Hirschl, Managing Director of SAL.

Gaby Schaunig, Deputy Governor of Carinthia, emphasizes and confirms the significant role of Silicon Austria Labs for the region: "With SAL, we have a leading research center in Carinthia that not only collaborates closely with leading Carinthian companies but also supports small and medium-sized enterprises in their research and development activities."

Established in 2018 during the European Forum Alpbach, Silicon Austria Labs GmbH (SAL) is an interregional, non-university top research center in the field of electronics-based systems. Research in key technologies such as Microsystems, Sensor Systems, Power Electronics, Intelligent Wireless Systems, and Embedded Systems is conducted at locations in Graz, Villach, and Linz. SAL brings together significant players from industry and academia, combining valuable expertise and know-how, and conducts cooperative, application-oriented research along the value chain. The goal is to accelerate the value creation process from idea to innovation through excellent research and economic benefit. The owners are the Republic (50.1%), the provinces of Styria and Carinthia (each 10%), the state of Upper Austria (4.95%), and the Association for Electrical and Electronic Industries (24.95%).