MANILA, Philippines — The Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philip- pines Foundation Inc. (SEIPI) plans to work with industry associations in Malaysia and France to implement activities, including research and devel opment (R&D) and training to help promote the growth of the country’s electronics industry.
During the group’s online general membership meeting for the third quarter, SEIPI president Dan Lachica said he met with several Malaysian organizations last month to discuss possible activities to promote the local industry.
SEIPI is looking to partner with the Semiconductor Fabri- cation Association of Malaysia (SFAM), which is the umbrella organization of companies producing semiconductor wafers in Malaysia.
“They have agreed to help SEIPI with its Science and Technology Center plans to move the Philippines’ electronics industry up the value chain,” Lachica said.
As such, he said SEIPI would set up meetings with SFAM members to develop a memorandum of agreement on collaborative activities.
Apart from SFAM, he said SEIPI also met with the Malay- sian Integrated Chip Designer Association (MICDA).
He said the potential collab- orative activities with MICDA include IC design facility, out- sourcing IC design and packaging activities, trade fairs, faculty immersions, R&D and localization.
“We will then assess faculty immersion program and the potential R&D activities, the outsourcing and localization activities and then, eventually, hopefully, sign MOU (memorandum of understanding),” he said.
He said SEIPI also wants to partner with the MIMOS National Applied R&D Center which is under Malaysia’s Ministry of Science and Technology.
Potential activities to be undertaken with MIMOS are fab setup consultancy, R&D, micro- electronics training and technology transfer.
“We intend to sign a MOU with MIMOS also and as for the consultancy, hopefully, get funding for the collaborative activities,” Lachica said.
Lachica said SEIPI also intends to continue working with the Alliance for Components and Systems of French Electron- ics Industry or ACSIEL.
SEIPI signed the MOU with ACSIEL last year.