Specific Challenge:

Flexible and Wearable Electronics combines new and traditional materials with large-area processes to fabricate lightweight, flexible, printed and multi-functional electronic products. The challenge is to tap open opportunities in existing and emerging markets by pushing technology barriers further and demonstrating innovative use in sectors that could benefit from such innovations.

Scope:

To fully exploit the potential of Flexible and Wearable Electronics and overcome barriers of manufacturability, challenges need to be addressed in materials, processes for large-area fabrication and quality control, integration technologies, and demonstrating innovative and sustainable products for professionals and consumers. This topic will support advances in device technology and related manufacturing processes.

Proposals can address one or more of the following topics:

Enhancing manufacturability: Addressing advances in combined organic and printed electronics and large area deposition technologies resulting in multi-functional components; and/or equipment and processes for large-scale fabrication, mass-customisation and characterisation as well as textile compatibility, whenever relevant.

Integration technologies: It addresses the development of new concepts for the integration of transducers, energy and data storage elements, logic, displays and light sources, as well as new interconnection technologies.

Device demonstration: Prototype validation in specific applications of flexible and wearable electronics. Consideration to be given to the integration of electronic devices in connected wearable and portable settings (e.g. textiles, flexible or stretchable substrates), interconnection, compatibility with low-cost manufacturing, efficient energy scavenging and storage, functional performance, and durability/reliability. Privacy and security, liability and free flow of data as well as recyclability and waste management should be considered where relevant.

It is expected that projects addressing manufacturability would demonstrate production capability in a laboratory environment (TRL 4).

For integration and device demonstration, it is expected that technologies are validated in laboratory or relevant environments (TRL 4-5), and that industrial exploitation is clearly identified.

Expected Impact:

Proposals should address some of the following impact criteria and provide metrics to measure and monitor progress:

• Technology leaps related to improved performance (functionalities, autonomy, reliability, manufacturability and cost…) and contributing to European leadership in large area, flexible and wearable electronics .
• The emergence of new products based on the combination of printed and large area processed electronics.
• Increased R&D cooperation in technology device development and related manufacturing processes.
• Developing further manufacturing capabilities in Europe.
• Creating new opportunities for digitisation in other sectors and including new actors in the ecosystems (designers, artists…),
• Increased industrial investments in flexible and wearable electronics.