The Institute of Materials for Electronics and Magnetism (IMEM) is part of the National Research Council (CNR). This Institute has been active since 2001 and was born from the fusion of different realities, the most significant of which was MASPEC, Special Materials Institute for Electronics and Magnetism. The Institute has its headquarters in Parma, and two secondary offices, one in Genoa, at the University's Physics Department, and one in Trento, at the Bruno Kessler Foundation (FBK). A Unit is also active at the ChiLab of the Polytechnic of Turin. 
IMEM is part of the Department of Engineering, ICT and Technologies for Energy and Transport (DIITET) of CNR. 

IMEM develops interdisciplinary research approaches in the field of Materials Science, which include advanced methods of synthesis and characterization of materials, as well as device manufacturing technologies, designed with the aim of exploring and demonstrating the functional properties of the materials themselves. 

Main Research Activities are: materials and technologies for green energy; sensors for IOT and sustainable development; smart and neuromorfic biointerfacing systems; magnetica and multiferroic materials; growth-of-nanostructured-and-functional-materials; structural and surface characterization.

IMEM carries out these activities by interconnecting basic research with applied and technological research, not only in collaboration with several relevant national and international research realities, but also in collaboration with many companies. IMEM also participates in CNR's Technopole of Bologna and in Mister Smart Innovation laboratory, a consortium company which is part of the Emilia Romagna High Technology Network.

Also IMEM's effort to train new researchers is noteworthy, mainly through the participation in the Materials Science and Technology PhD Program of Parma University. 

As for the staff, 80 units actually work at IMEM, 65 of which are researchers/technologists and 15 are technicians/administrative. In addition, 31 associate researchers collaborate closely with the Institute.