VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Ciba have signed a medium to long-term cooperation agreement in the field of printed intelligence. The agreement accelerates both companies’ current research collaboration in printed organic electronics, established in early 2007, and expands it to new printable functionalities in high-volume packaging and diagnostics applications.
The aim of the partnership is to develop new commercial products and solutions based on emerging printing technologies. The cooperation involves product development, mutual IPR licensing and other joint technology commercialization efforts. The first jointly developed products and solutions are to be launched in the next few years.
Ciba Inc.’s interest is to combine its expertise in materials design and manufacturing with VTT’s expertise in advanced printing techniques. One of the techniques is roll-to-roll printing that accesses the mass-produced functional devices, including solar cells, holograms, organic light emitting devices for signage, sensors and photo diodes. VTT will carry out its work on behalf of the collaboration at its Centre for Printed Intelligence.
The Ciba-VTT research cooperation benefits from the multidisciplinary technology know-how of VTT in printing/converting, chemistry, biochemistry, nanotechnology, electronics and diagnostics, and from Ciba’s experience and know-how in specialty chemicals. The collaboration has been built through a series of successful Tekes (the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation) and EU FP6 projects.