International technological project with XTPL S.A. to receive grant of over EUR 4 million under Horizon Europe

XTPL SA, a world leader of ground-breaking nanoprinting solutions for the global electronics market, reports having received a grant recommendation for the technological project “Building Active MicroLED displays By Additive Manufacturing”, which was developed and will be delivered by an international consortium of seven complementary European partners, including XTPL S.A. The total value of the project is more than EUR 4.29 million, including the recommended grant for XTPL coming in at almost EUR 430 thousand. The project is to be implemented for two years after the date of the grant agreement.

The project was put together and submitted to a competition organized by the European Commission as part of the Horizon Europe program by a consortium of partners from five countries, including business players providing ready-made solutions for the next-generation electronics market. In addition to XTPL, these are:

  •  Aledia from France – which develops and manufactures innovative light emitting diodes (LED) based on a unique 3D architecture;
  •  Barco NV from Belgium – which designs and provides networked visualization solutions (including displays) for the entertainment, enterprise and healthcare markets;
  •  QustomDot BV from Belgium – which produces on-chip grade Quantum Dots (QDs) and assists customers in successfully integrating QDs into their products;
  •  X Display Company Technology Ltd. from Ireland – a leader in microLED and microIC technologies and semiconductor components for use in display applications;
  •  X-Celeprint Ltd. from Ireland – which develops and licenses patented technologies. and licensing a patented production platform for 3D heterogeneous integration;

and a team of scientists from the University of Stuttgart, which will use XTPL’s Delta Printing System in its work under the project.

The vision of the initiative is to develop a new technology for manufacturing microLED displays using selected additive techniques – including the unique ultra-precise deposition (UPD) technology developed by XTPL. The new solution is to help in lowering the cost of fabricating displays for TVs or other larger screens in which microLED is used.

“The joint role of our consortium will be to develop an innovative solution for the manufacture of microLED displays on flexible substrates without the use of a conventional layer of thin-film transistors. We want to achieve this by employing, among other things, the XTPL technology and our products: the Delta Printing System – which will be used by our team in our laboratory, and by the team from the University of Stuttgart, which has been using the DPS in its laboratories under a lease contract since the beginning of 2021. In addition, our proprietary conductive nanoinks will be applied in the process. We strongly believe in the final success of the project, as the experience, knowledge, market position and technology patent portfolio of all consortium partners should lead to the creation of a breakthrough solution that will respond to the existing needs and requirements of manufacturers and suppliers of modern displays,” said Filip Granek, PhD, CEO of XTPL S.A.

The project should start in H2 2022 and will last for two years. First, a consortium agreement and then grant agreement will be signed before its implementation. The grant application for the project was submitted by members of the consortium under the competition “Digital and emerging technologies for competitiveness and fit for the green deal” (HORIZON-CL4-2021-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01-31)”, Research and Innovations Actions (RIA).

The Horizon Europe Framework Programme (2021–2027) is a research and innovation programme launched in February 2021, replacing Horizon 2020. The new edition of the programme has a budget of around EUR 95.5 billion. The key goals of the programme are: to strengthen the scientific and technological bases of the EU and the European Research Area (ERA), and to boost Europe’s innovation capacity, competitiveness and jobs.

AWARDS FOR INNOVATION

XTPL’s technologies and products have already won many industry awards and recognitions, including the award for “The most valuable optoelectronic equipment” and “The most valuable optoelectronic materials” obtained in April 2021 during the Display & Touch Industry Conference 2021 (DTIC 2021), one of the major industry conferences for display manufacturers in China. The event was attended by nearly 600 key representatives of Chinese market suppliers of materials and equipment for the production of optoelectronics, including: Visionox, BOE, Changyang Technology, Jizhi Technology, Lumilan, Xi’an Jiaotong University (Simoway), TA Instruments, Lipper Technology, and Long Innovation Materials. In turn, in 2018, during the Display Week in Los Angeles, one of the most important conference for display manufacturers, the Company was awarded for one of the most promising technologies among participants of the Innovation Zone (I-Zone). Other firms awarded during the event were such giants as Apple, LG Display or Sharp.

Innovation is a value also recognized by the Warsaw Stock Exchange, XTPL’s listing market. Since 12 April 2021, the Company has been part of the INNOVATOR Łukasiewicz stock index. A joint initiative of the WSE and the Łukasiewicz Research Network, the index is aimed at promoting the most innovative public companies that develop their potential in cooperation with the scientific sector.

The XTPL technology is a response to the three megatrends in the production of modern electronics. The industry is currently strongly focused on further miniaturization of the size and weight of electronic devices, modifying their forms and properties, and moving towards an increased flexibility and three-dimensionality. The recent global trend is also environmental protection by efficient use of limited resources while reducing the production waste, which is enabled by additive technology. XTPL develops its proprietary innovative nanoprinting solutions that support those trends, offering them to global players in the rapidly growing printed electronics industry. In 2020, its value was USD 41.2 billion (+11.0% YoY), and in 2025 it is forecast to grow to USD 63.3 billion, while 2030 it is expected to reach even USD 74.1 billion (source: IDTechEx). This means an increase in the market value at a CAGR of 9.0% in 2020–2025.

 

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