Overview

Welcome to the Edu4Chip Summer School 2026 on Chip Design. The summer school provides an introduction to the chip design process, from Integrated Circuit (IC) specifications to layout drawings. Participants will design their own logic block to be embedded in an IC. The entire project will be sent to be manufactured. Through courses, trainings, and both academic and industrial keynotes, participants will acquire foundational knowledge of chip design workflows, develop skills in tools and methodologies, and explore cutting-edge developments in the field.

The summer school is organized by the Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT) in collaboration with Edu4Chip partner institutions and will take place in France at the Campus Aix-Marseille Provence of Mines Saint-Etienne in the beautiful South of France, between Aix-en-Provence and Marseille.

The summer school is structured into two main parts:

• An online intro-day (August 10th) - Covering fundamental concepts in chip and digital design, with interactive exercises and project introductions.
• An in-person program (August 17th to 21st) - Held at Mines Saint-Etienne in France, featuring in-depth lectures, hands-on activities, keynotes, and social events.

Students from the Edu4Chip partner universities are welcome to attend, as are students from other EU universities.

Target audience and scope

The summer school is designed for Bachelor students and Master students with a background in electrical engineering, computer science and engineering, or physics, the summer school emphasizes practical learning activities. PhD students are also welcome. Participants will acquire foundational knowledge of chip design workflows, develop skills in tools and methodologies, and explore cutting-edge developments in the field.

ECTS credit transfer and financial support

The Edu4Chip Summer School is organized within the framework of the Erasmus Blended Intensive Program (BIP), which allows for credit transfer among participating institutions. Upon successful completion within the BIP, students can be awarded 3 ECTS credits.

For details on financial support options, especially for students from Erasmus partner institutions and Edu4Chip partners, please refer to the Financial Support section.

Practical information

Please find below some practical information related to location, accommodation, and transport.

Location

The Edu4Chip 2026 Summer School will take place at the Campus Aix-Marseille Provence (IMT/MSE) in Gardanne, a town located between Aix-en-Provence and Marseille (in the south of France).

• Venue: Mines Saint-Etienne, Campus Aix-Marseille Provence
• Address: 880, avenue de Mimet, 13541 Gardanne, France

Accommodation

IMT may not offer on-campus accommodation for summer school participants. Each student is responsible for arranging their own accommodation independently. We recommend searching through popular platforms such as Booking.com, Airbnb, or similar services to find lodging that fits your preferences and budget. However, we recommend reserving your accommodations in Aix-en-Provence. For your convenience, we will most likely organize shared transportation between Aix and Gardanne.

Important: In general, public transport is feasible from either location. See the next section for more information about transportation options.

Transport

If you're arriving from abroad, the nearest airport is Marseille Provence (MRS), which has frequent bus service to Aix city center. The journey typically takes around 35 minutes, and during the day, there is one bus every 30 minutes.

The summer school venue in Gardanne is connected to the train station in Aix (or Marseille) and several bus lines. The train ride from Aix to Gardanne takes approximately 10 minutes. Then, a bus service runs from the train station to the campus.

Useful tips

Bring your laptop and charger: You will need a laptop for the summer school program. France uses Type E or C plugs (EU standard, 230 V), check if you need an adapter.

Dress smart for hot weather: Temperatures in Aix-en-Provence can be high at the end of August, and heavy showers are also possible during this period.

Other handy items: Sunscreen (you will need it), and a notebook/pen for quick notes and drafts.

Program and content

During the six-day program, which includes an introductory day online, participants will engage in lectures, hands-on exercises, and keynotes delivered by leading academics and industry experts. They will design their own logic block to be embedded in an integrated circuit. The entire project will be sent out for manufacturing. Through courses, training sessions, and academic and industrial keynotes, participants will acquire foundational knowledge of chip design workflows, develop skills in tools and methodologies, and explore cutting-edge developments in the field.

The Edu4Chip Summer School consists of two main parts: an online introductory day and an in-person program in Gardanne (5 days).

The program and schedule for the summer school will be announced in early 2026.

Student pre-registration

Participation in the Edu4Chip Summer School is free for students. Due to limited capacity, however, we require all interested students to pre-register. This process helps us create a diverse group of students from different institutions and backgrounds. The summer school is open to students from Edu4Chip partner universities (DTU, TUM, KTH, TAU, and IMT), as well as other EU universities.

For students of the Edu4Chip partner universities (DTU, TUM, KTH, TAU, IMT), pre-registration and selection will be handled by your home university. Please contact the contact-person of your university (see below) to express your interest and pre-register.

For students of other EU universities, pre-registration will be done through a dedicated webpage, to be open in early 2026.

Student financial support

To support student participation in the Edu4Chip Summer School from countries outside France, two financial support options are available to help cover travel and accommodation costs.

Support via Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program (BIP)

The support via Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program (BIP) is available to students from any IMT Mines Saint-Etienne Erasmus+ partner institutions. This support helps cover travel, accommodation, and other expenses for eligible participants.

Eligibility: Students enrolled at IMT Mines Saint-Etienne Erasmus+ partner institutions. In the context of Edu4Chip, these are KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Technical University of Munich (TUM), and Tampere University (Finland). However, students from other institutions that are Erasmus+ partners of IMT Mines Saint-Etienne might be eligible for this support. Please contact your institution's international/Erasmus office for application details and procedures.

Support via Edu4Chip

The Edu4Chip project can provides financial support for students from Edu4Chip partner institutions to cover travel, accommodation, and other expenses related to the participation in the summer school.

Eligibility: Students from all Edu4Chip partner universities.

More information and applications

If you are from one of the Edu4Chip partners, see the contact person in your institution below. If you are from another university, you might still be eligible for support via Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program (BIP), if your institution is an Erasmus+ partner of IMT Mines Saint-Etienne. Please contact your institution's international/Erasmus office for application details and procedures.

For students from the Technical University of Munich (TUM):

Contact person: PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Michael Pehl Mail: m.pehl@tum.de Phone: +49 (89) 289 - 28252 Homepage: Link to homepage

For students from KTH Royal Institute of Technology:

Contact person: Prof. Ahmed Hemani Mail: hemani@kth.se Phone: +46 8 790 44 69 Homepage: Link to homepage

For students from Tampere University (TAU):

Contact person: Prof. Timo Hämäläinen Mail: timo.hamalainen@tuni.fi Phone: +35 8408490777 Homepage: Link to homepage

For students from Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT):

Contact person: Prof. Jean-Max Dutertre Mail: dutertre@emse.fr Phone: +33 (0)4 42 61 67 36 Homepage: Link to homepage

For students from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU):

Contact person: Assoc. Prof. Luca Pezzarossa Mail: lpez@dtu.dk Homepage: Link to homepage

We encourage all interested students to apply early to secure funding support.

Questions and contacts

If you have any questions about the Edu4Chip Summer School, feel free to reach out to us. Whether you need more information about the program, registration process, participation grants, or logistics, we are here to help!

Contact person: Prof. Jean-Max Dutertre Mail: dutertre@emse.fr Phone: +33 (0)4 42 61 67 36 Homepage: Link to homepage