It has been reported that the UK government is set to build on its position as one of the leading exponents of plastic electronics with an exciting mix of SMEs, larger indigenous companies and global systems businesses.
Perceived challenges could be resolved by recognising that plastic electronics not only cuts across a range of sectors from universities to the private industry, as well as highlighting the possible gap between R&D work and the end product.
In Industry Minister, Lord Mandelson’s opinion: “Our existing pool of electronic design engineers – experienced in developing chips - should welcome the opportunities to design new products based on plastic electronic components.”
Lord Mandelson further notes that, “There is also a need to ensure that the potential end users of plastic electronics are aware of what the new technologies can deliver. The Phonotonics and Plastic Electronics Knowledge Transfer Network will make a significant contribution here, by helping technology providers engage with potential customers.”
This is especially relevant with plastic electronics poised to break into the mainstream, with estimated forecasts seeing the global market grow to an expected $120billion by 2020.