IMEC is a lab, not a fab. They have partnerships with all major fabs for driving research forwards and making prototypes and concepts, but they don't manufacture anything there, it's still up to Samsung, Intel or TSMC to try out whatever IMEC comes up with.

They may have lasers, electron microscopes, probes, etc on-site for testing what Intel or TSMC ship them and verify research results, but that's pretty far away from a "cottage industry".

Intel and Samsung are the true "cottage industries" as they do full vertical integration of IP, R&D and manufacturing under the same roof.

IMEC is more like the UN of semi companies, a place for them to come together, share knowledge and results and talk standardisation based on that.