NextFlex Launches $5.3 Million Funding Opportunity to Strengthen U.S. Electronics Manufacturing and Promote Commercialization of Hybrid Electronics

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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. 

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 at nextflex.us/project-call-9-0. Proposals are due July 24.