The Institute of Microelectronic Technology is a Joint University Institute which was officially established in 1999 by the Basque Government decree 18/1999. This decree consolidated, thereby, the activity of the Institute members (Semiconductor Group and Microelectronic Design Group, with the Electronic Technology and Systems Engineering and Automation Departments of the University of the Basque Country), which dates back to 1986.

Presently, about thirty people work in the Technological Park of Bizkaia, focusing their effort on research and development projects in photovoltaics.

The Institute is particularly noteworthy for the fact of having a complete equipment and extensive knowledge in manufacturing technologies of solar cells, as it is one of the first European centers with facilities in screen printing techniques (1993), and boron diffusions (1996) and silicon cells with less than 100 microns thicknesses (1999).