IPC, FED Partner for New Design Conference in Vienna
December 12, 2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

IPC and its German partner FED have teamed up to create a new PCB design conference in Vienna, Austria. The Pan-European Electronics Design Conference (PEDC) is scheduled for Jan. 29-30 at the NH Danube City hotel in Vienna.
IPC’s Peter Tranitz, one of the show organizers, discussed how this new show came about, pointing out that, unlike many of the regional conferences in Europe, PEDC will host curated, peer-reviewed presentations, not promotional content or product pitches. Will PEDC become an annual event?
Andy Shaughnessy: Peter, tell us about the new design conference in Vienna, Austria.
Peter Tranitz: The idea for the Pan-European Electronics Design Conference came out of discussions that IPC and FED (Germany-based electronics design and manufacturing association) had with the PCB and EMS communities around our activities in Brussels. During those discussions, we learned that high-level scientific conferences are missing within the European landscape. In Europe, we have regional language conferences on electronic design organized by national associations. Often, little care is taken to avoid promotional and product pitches.
The PEDC is targeting the pan-European community for electronics design. We are transporting the model of the IPC APEX EXPO conference, which excludes commercialism and ensures a high level of technical content for the presentations. Our technical program committee is targeting content with a high technical and scientific level. This pure, technically scientific approach is the differentiator from other events happening in Europe. We prefer presentations that haven't been published before, so that attendees see the content for the first time.
Shaughnessy: Are the presentations in English? What does the program consist of?
Tranitz: Yes, it’s all English. We are open to engineers of all levels to academia and students, and we embrace diversity. We are seeking European participants as well as interested people from around the globe. Our Day 1 program consists of two keynotes. One is focused on electronic design and AI utilization, and the other keynote is around silicon-to-systems development. We have two panels: One tackles AI in electronics, and the other focuses on regulations and sustainability. These are big topics, especially in Europe.
On Day 2, we have two tracks with 12 presentations, each in parallel. One track focuses on silicon-to-systems and design techniques, and the other is around design for excellence, software, and tools. We’ve managed to engage professors from academia, top experts from research institutes, and companies that do a lot of research and development to help us set up a very attractive program. It is also worth mentioning that we have received far more presentation abstracts than we can cover at the conference.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the December 2024 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
The Shaughnessy Report: Solving the Data Package Puzzle
05/12/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy -- Column: The Shaughnessy ReportIf you ask fabricators about their biggest challenges, they’ll often point at PCB designers—the readers of this magazine. Yes, you! Why is it so difficult to create the ideal data package? It’s a fairly straightforward task. But this part of the design process keeps tripping up designers, even those who started in the industry before Pink Floyd split up.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
05/09/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineTrade show season is wrapping up as we head into summer. Where has the time gone? I hope you all get the chance to take a vacation this year, because I know you’ve earned one. Speaking of which, when was my last vacay? If I can’t remember, it’s probably time for one. It’s been a busy week in electronics, with fallout from the back-and-forth on tariffs taking up most of the oxygen in the room. We have quite an assortment of articles and columns for you in this installment of Must-Reads. See you next time.
Imec Coordinates EU Chips Design Platform
05/09/2025 | ImecA consortium of 12 European partners, coordinated by imec, has been selected in the framework of the European Chips Act to develop the EU Chips Design Platform.
New Issue of Design007 Magazine: Are Your Data Packages Less Than Ideal?
05/09/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamWhy is it so difficult to create the ideal data package? Many of these simple errors can be alleviated by paying attention to detail—and knowing what issues to look out for. So, this month, our experts weigh in on the best practices for creating the ideal data package for your design.
RF PCB Design Tips and Tricks
05/08/2025 | Cherie Litson, EPTAC MIT CID/CID+There are many great books, videos, and information online about designing PCBs for RF circuits. A few of my favorite RF sources are Hans Rosenberg, Stephen Chavez, and Rick Hartley, but there are many more. These PCB design engineers have a very good perspective on what it takes to take an RF design from schematic concept to PCB layout.