Brussels, 09/07/2003 (Agence Europe) - The Commission has authorised aid of EUR 98 million for setting up an R&D facility for optical photomasks (used in the manufacture of microchips) in Dresden, Saxony, an assisted area in which up to 28% of eligible investment costs may be financed through state aid. The planned investment aid is below the permitted aid ceiling, with an intensity of 25.2% of the eligible investment costs. The facility will be run by three companies, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., DuPont Photomasks Inc. and Infineon Tecnologies AG, each of which will own one third of a dedicated new joint venture. In view of the growth in the market and the number of direct and indirect jobs created by the project, the Commission decided to approve the notified aid.