SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NextFlex, the Department of Defense (DoD) sponsored Manufacturing Innovation Institute focused on maturing hybrid electronics, today released Project Call 9.0 (PC 9.0), its latest call for proposals that seek to fund projects that further the development and adoption of hybrid electronics while addressing key challenges in advanced manufacturing. The total PC 9.0 project value is expected to exceed $11M (including NextFlex investment and performer cost-share), bringing the total anticipated investment in advancing hybrid electronics since NextFlex’s formation to $143M.
Building from the success of past Project Calls, PC 9.0 uses broadly defined topics to enable a diverse proposer base, with special emphasis on areas in which hybrid electronics can impact high priority U.S. manufacturing opportunities and areas of emerging importance within the electronics manufacturing community. PC 9.0 emphasizes projects that address critical hybrid electronics manufacturing challenges, enabling the transition of hybrid electronics devices into applications that require superior performance, assured reliability, and improved environmental sustainability.
“NextFlex Project Calls advance the state of the art of hybrid electronics technology and have proven to push the field in new directions, with each marking development milestones that have been collectively achieved by the NextFlex consortium. PC 9.0 continues this trend, with increased emphasis on projects that will lead to technology transitions into both commercial markets and defense programs.” said Dr. Scott Miller, Director of Technology at NextFlex. “As hybrid electronics technologies increasingly find their way into products and manufacturing, these developments will expand the range of applications in aerospace, automotive, structural health monitoring, and medical wearables.”
Proposals focused on manufacturing challenges and advancing technology transitions are sought in these topic areas:
Topic 9.1: Manufacturing of High Resolution, Multilayer Electronic Packages and Devices
Topic 9.2: Thermal Management for Power Electronics
Topic 9.3: Reliable Hybrid Electronics for Extreme Conditions
Topic 9.4: Conformal & Structurally Integrated Hybrid Electronics
Topic 9.5: Additive Processes for Improved Environmental Sustainability of Electronics Manufacturing
Topic 9.6: Open Topic for "New Project Leads"
In addition, NextFlex announces the release of its latest public Hybrid Electronics Technology Roadmaps. Developed by subject matter experts from industry, academia and government. The NextFlex Technical Working Groups in 11 technical areas of emphasis – Automotive; Device Integration & Packaging; Materials; Modeling & Design; Printed Components & Microfluidics; Standards, Test & Reliability; Asset Monitoring Systems; Flexible Power; Human Monitoring Systems; Integrated Antenna Arrays; and Soft Wearable Robotics – update the roadmaps each year. The public roadmaps summarize the detailed information on the current state of the art, market opportunities and needs, key stakeholders, a five-year forward-looking development roadmap, and prioritized technical gaps identified by each Technical Working Group in the full-version roadmaps to which NextFlex members have access. These roadmaps inform the priorities and shape the topics for NextFlex Project Calls. You can access the public version of these roadmaps here.
More information on NextFlex’s PC 9.0, including proposal submission instructions and registration for the Proposer’s Day & Teaming webinar on June 10, can be found here. Proposals are due July 24.
About NextFlex
NextFlex is a DoD sponsored Manufacturing Innovation Institute funded by Air Force Research Laboratory Cooperative Agreement numbers FA8650-15-2-5401 and FA8650-20-2-5506. NextFlex is a consortium of companies, academic institutions, non-profits and state, local and federal governments with a shared goal of advancing U.S. manufacturing of flexible and additive hybrid electronics. Since its formation in 2015, NextFlex’s elite team of thought leaders, educators, problem solvers and manufacturers have come together to collectively facilitate innovation, narrow the manufacturing workforce gap and promote sustainable manufacturing ecosystems. For more information, visit www.nextflex.us and follow NextFlex on LinkedIn.
About Flexible and Additive Hybrid Electronics
Flexible and additive hybrid electronics give everyday products the power of silicon ICs by combining them with new and unique low-cost and environmentally friendly additive printing processes and new materials, including structural and conformal electronics and additive packaging solutions using novel materials. The result is fast time to market, lightweight, low-cost, and highly efficient smart products that can be flexible, conformable, and stretchable with innumerable uses for commercial and defense applications.
