Grant: Strategic Network Grants Program

The field of Printable Electronics (PE) combines conventional printing methods with conducting,semiconducting, and dielectric inks to economically produce electronic devices in a high throughput fashion. This unique synergy at the intersection between the printing and the electronics industries allows for the fabrication of low-cost electronic devices that are light, flexible, and environmentally friendly. These features, combined with scalable and high-volume production, will strongly benefit to the Internet of Things (IoT), in which smart devices and sensors embedded ubiquitously collect and exchange data. In order for Canada to gain a leading position in the face of intensifying international competition, we propose the creation of a new NSERC Network exploiting the internationally recognized strengths of Canada in materials science and organic electronics and our world leading printing and packaging institutions to fabricate printed electronic sensors intended for food packaging and other related field of applications. The main focus of this network will be the development of environmentally-benign materials and processes to implement the so-called green electronics. Involving world-class chemists, physicists and engineers from all across Canada, the goal of the NSERC-Green Electronics Network (GreEN) is to establish a collaborative group that will develop advanced materials, electronic devices and manufacturing technologies. This Network is a transdisciplinary academic and industrial team including 19 researchers from 13 universities and 1 technical college, as well as 36 industrial partners and national and international organizations. It also involves 10 scientific collaborators coming from 7 different institutions. NSERC-GreEN will also benefit from state-of-the-art facilities and equipment (>$130M) currently available at participating institutions. Focusing on a 5-year horizon, the Network will enable technical innovation in the form of new eco-friendly materials, advanced sensing and transducing properties and specifically-adapted designs and environmentally-benign printing processes for mainly food packaging. These projects will also create new opportunities for bio-medical and energy applications.