Alun Foster

Head of Dissemination ECSEL Joint Undertaking

Alun Foster (BSc. (Hons Lond) A.R.C.S.), born in 1957, obtained an honours degree in Physics from the University of London (Imperial College), and entered professional activity at Plessey Telecommunications researching advanced data modems using DSP techniques. He (re-)immigrated to Belgium in 1980, to work as technical product marketing engineer for microprocessor and telecommunications products for a major US semiconductor manufacturer. He joined Alcatel Microelectronics (then MIETEC) in 1987, as technical marketing engineer for Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) products, specialising in automotive and industrial ASIC projects. As product line manager for narrow-band telecom ICs, and later as applications manager for DSL products, he defined architecture research and product development addressing the specific needs of both customers and suppliers in these fields. He also has extensive experience in project management and team-building.

Alun is presently Head of Plans and Dissemination for the ECSEL Joint Undertaking and was previously Programme Manager for the ARTEMIS Joint Undertaking (from 1st August 2013, to 26/6/2014 took on the additional role of Acting Executive Director of ARTEMIS-JU). Prior to that he worked as an independent consultant for the ARTEMIS Industry Association, after serving the ARTEMIS and ENIAC initiatives since their inception as Senior Manager, External Technology Coordination for STMicroelectronics, based in Zaventem, Belgium. He has many years of industrial semiconductor experience in technical marketing, design and applications management for microprocessors, telecommunications devices and ASICs for the industrial and automotive sectors. He was responsible for coordinating strategic international cooperative research, for example under the IST and the Eureka cluster programme MEDEA+. He also actively participated in the ARTEMIS European Technology Platform (ETP) – an initiative of the European Commission contributing to the Framework Programme 7 and a precursor to the ARTEMIS Industry Association - specifically involved in drafting the Strategic Research Agenda.