Students spend one semester at each institution: semester one at Heriot- Watt, semester two at HSN Norway, and semester three at BME, Hungary. In the final semester of year two a project is undertaken at one of the three partner institutions. The award to successful students is a joint degree bearing the seals of all three Universities.

Smart Systems are self-sufficient intelligent (sub)systems with advanced functionality, enabled by underlying micro-, nano-, and bio-systems and components. They enable and enhance products and services in every walk of life and are of strategic importance for the competitiveness of entire sectors and economies in Europe.

The programme aims to develop talented engineers with in-depth knowledge of Smart Systems, such as airbag crash sensors, miniaturised spectrometers, inkjet printer heads and smartphones, which operate through the integration of electronic processing with biological, mechanical or optical functions.

It is multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary, requiring excellence in many traditional fields of engineering and science. It will be applicable to many industrial sectors, including the automotive, semiconductor, medical and biomedical industries, environmental monitoring, aerospace, consumer goods and telecommunications.

Through the programme students will have access to the research infrastructures in each of the three European countries and will benefit from learning in different settings. They will also experience three different regions of Europe, helping to prepare them for a multi-cultural career.

The SSI project is endorsed by the European Technology Platform EPoSS (European Platform on Smart Systems) whose membership includes major multinational European companies (Bosch, ST Microelectronics, Infineon, EADS) that manufacture or use integrated microsystems.