PARC to Address Disruptive Innovation in the Flexible Electronics Industry and Showcase Materials-to-device Capabilities at FlexTech 2010

Palo Alto, California — PARC (Palo Alto Research Center Inc.) will be presenting a keynote address and exhibiting at the 2010 Flexible Electronics & Displays Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, from February 2-4 at Booth 204.

The market for flexible and printed electronics is rapidly growing. Currently estimated at just under $1.2B, the global market is expected to increase to a $15B market by 2015 and projected to increase even more drastically by 2025.

The majority of this market growth will come from either new markets enabled by the use of flexible substrates, or by the disruptive impact of flexible electronics on existing markets such as the e-reader/e-book market given recent product introductions. Addressing and exploiting the opportunities from these parallel disruptions will be a challenge for organizations whose current lab-to-market processes are not focused on flexible electronics.

PARC CEO Mark Bernstein will describe what has to change in the lab-to-market ecosystem model when faced with disruptive change in technologies and/or markets. In his keynote address, “The changing model: Moving technologies from research to applications” (February 2, between 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM), Bernstein will draw on PARC’s experience across a range of technologies and markets which has resulted in over 30 new businesses and in some cases created entirely new industries.

Bernstein will share some of PARC’s lessons learned, case studies, and recommendations for addressing the challenges raised by disrupted lab-to-market ecosystems. Some of these include how companies can: create an early warning system; bring in outside expertise/ open innovation partners; and position themselves flexibly for new near- and long-term opportunities.

A leader in thin-film electronics since the 1970s, PARC will also outline its view of the ecosystem for developing products based on flexible electronics, including showcasing capabilities in:

• Material Characterization and performance optimization for flexible electronics materials suppliers;
• Application Development, circuit design, and proof-of-concept fabrication for companies exploring specific applications (including sensors and display elements); and
• Full System Prototyping and integration of complete systems containing flexible electronics as well as conventional thin film components and/or standard silicon circuitry.

By bringing together key players in industry, startups, R&D organizations, and academic institutions from across the world, FlexTech’s business and technical conference, notes Bernstein, “provides the ideal milieu for creating the shared understanding and relationships needed to move flexible electronics to the next level.”

Please visit PARC at Booth 204 and/or contact FLEXTECH2010@PARC.COM to schedule an appointment. For event information (including slides and other materials posted after the event), visit www.parc.com/flextech2010.

About PARC
A global center for commercial innovation for 40 years, PARC is a pioneer in the development and commercialization of thin film transistors, circuits, and sensors. With deep knowledge of printing technology applied in domains such as displays, image sensors, and medical sensors, PARC’s technical expertise and facility support printed dielectrics, nanoparticle metals, organic, oxide, and silicon (amorphous, polycrystalline, printed nanowire) semiconductors. PARC’s clients include display manufacturers, consumer electronics firms, IT companies, government agencies, and materials suppliers to the flexible electronics market. www.parc.com