High performance electrical machines and actuators are more and more requested in specific fields like aeronautics, automotive, and spatial or medical equipment. In these fields, requirements in terms of reliability, compactness, and efficiency can be particularly critical. Opting for electromechanical conversion is the result in particular from the significant progress made in power electronics and microelectronics. A sa consequence, electrical machines and actuators can be powered as a function of their loading and real-time controlled through complex control strategies. In addition, specific tools for accurate but efficient modelling and simulation help to customise the design for each specific application. Whatever the principle of electromechanical conversion considered (electromagnetic, piezoelectric, ...), different physics (magnetic, electric, thermal, mechanics ...) and disciplines (material, production, power electronics, control, ...) impact their behaviour and operating limits. Therefore designing high performance actuators requires a multidisciplinary and multiphysic approach, combining all aspects of the problem at each step of the design process (from prototyping to final design). A typical example of research aimed at the development of high-performance electrical machines is based on the use of flexible printed circuit board (Flex PCB) technology for the realisation of innovative winding topologies and geometries for slotless motors. This research is the cornerstone for the launch of the spin-off company Mirmex Motor (www.mirmexmotor.com), a provider of high performance micromotors and motor windings.