MICS was started in 2001 as a National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) in the area of wireless sensor networks (WSN). It is a nation-wide center encompassing more than 40 faculty members across different Swiss universities and about 80 PhD students. The NCCR MICS is tackling all the technological challenges that have to be addressed in order for WSN to realize their full potential, from the study of fundamental principles to the development of platforms, and to their deployment in applications.