It’s Only Common Sense: The Phone Is Still Mightier Than the Keyboard
The Marketing Minute: Marketing With Layers
NextFlex Awards Over $12.5 Million in Funding for Flexible Hybrid Electronics Innovations
January 9, 2020 | Business WireEstimated reading time: 1 minute
NextFlex®, America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Manufacturing Institute, today announced $12 million (including $7M in cost-share contribution from participants) in funding for seven projects as part of its Project Call 4.0 to further promote FHE adoption and development in the US advanced manufacturing industry. This latest round of funding brings the total amount invested in FHE developments to $88.6M, including cost share.“We’re delighted to announce the Project Call 4.0 awards. These projects will drive FHE manufacturing processes to a new level of sophistication.”
Project Call 4.0’s project winners are diverse and innovative, tackling scopes that address the industry’s key challenges, directly demonstrate manufacturing capabilities and offer a forward-thinking plan for transitioning projects to U.S. industrial manufacturing. The array of projects includes a wearable patch to monitor interstitial fluid biomarkers for disease and fatigue, encapsulation solutions to protect wearable electronics from environmental factors, systems to enhance capability of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and all projects utilize and promote FHE technology.
“We’re delighted to announce the Project Call 4.0 awards. These projects will drive FHE manufacturing processes to a new level of sophistication,” said Malcolm Thompson, Executive Director at NextFlex. “Each successive Project Call builds upon developments and learning from previous ones, staying focused on member-identified manufacturing challenges and creating optimal opportunities for collaboration.”
Previous Project Calls received over 178 proposals with a total of $75 million in investment towards promoting FHE breakthroughs. Projects chosen for Project Call 4.0 are a continuation of the previous success and developments stemming from the entire Project Call FHE Roadmap series.
The seven projects awarded funding are:
- Development led by Flex on encapsulation solutions for wearable electronics
- Development led by Lockheed Martin and Binghamton University of FHE systems to reduce weight, enhance performance, and improve communications capability of small fixed-wing unmanned aircraft systems (UAVs)
- Development led by The Boeing Company of FHE skins to improve performance and add functionality to small multi-rotor UAVs
- Development led by Eastman Chemical and UMass Lowell of processes and demonstrations for FHE device encapsulation
- Development led by The Boeing Company on using additive printing to manufacture multi-layer flexible circuit boards with integrated electronics
- Development led by GE Global Research and Binghamton University of a fully integrated and minimally invasive wearable device for on-demand monitoring of metabolites and cytokines from interstitial fluid
- Development led by The Boeing Company of a smart textile with embedded and printed sensors for structural health monitoring
Share on:
Testimonial
"We’re proud to call I-Connect007 a trusted partner. Their innovative approach and industry insight made our podcast collaboration a success by connecting us with the right audience and delivering real results."
Julia McCaffrey - NCAB GroupSuggested Items
ASE, Analog Devices Announce Strategic Collaboration
10/21/2025 | BUSINESS WIREASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd., and Analog Devices, Inc., announced strategic joint efforts in Penang, Malaysia with the signing of a binding Memorandum of Understanding.
Flex Sites in Brazil and Mexico Recognized as Manufacturing Leaders by the Association for Manufacturing Excellence
10/21/2025 | PRNewswireFlex announced that its sites in Manaus, Brazil, and our plastics operations in Guadalajara, Mexico, each received an Excellence Award from the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), demonstrating global leadership in continuous improvement and operational excellence.
Global Electronics Association Releases Fall Schedule of Instructor-led Courses
10/20/2025 | Corey Lynn, Global Electronics AssociationWhether you’re looking to enhance your PCB design skills, explore advanced packaging technologies, or deepen your understanding of reliability, these Global Electronics Association courses deliver high-impact learning from the best in the industry. Here are a few starting this week.
Fabrinet Announces Retirement of Founder and Chairman Tom Mitchell After 25 Years of Visionary Leadership
10/20/2025 | FabrinetFabrinet, a leading provider of advanced optical packaging and precision optical, electro-mechanical and electronic manufacturing services to original equipment manufacturers of complex products, announced the retirement of company founder and Chairman, David T. (Tom) Mitchell, after 25 years of visionary leadership.
Marcy’s Musings: The Legislative Outlook—Helping or Hurting?
10/20/2025 | Marcy LaRont -- Column: Marcy's MusingsJust before we were ready to publish our October issue of PCB007 Magazine, some breaking news from the White House, unfortunately (but perfectly) parlayed into why the topic of this month’s issue has been so important to cover in great depth.