MILPITAS, Calif. – May 15, 2023 –  FlexTech, a SEMI Technology Community focused on driving flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) innovations, today issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for advances in innovative materials, FHE design tools, additive-enabled processing, hybrid electronics packaging, FHE manufacturing, AI/ML applications, soft robotics, and power solutions. Selected projects will receive cash awards ranging from $250,000 to $1 million. The program is funded by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).

Organizations submitting proposals will be evaluated based on their capabilities, experience, and strengths including team diversity. See the SEMI FlexTech 2023 Request for Proposals for more details on the evaluation process.

White paper submissions, the first step in responding to the RFP, are due June 5, 2023. To help organizations prepare their proposals, FlexTech staff will review the RFP topics and the submission and review process during a live webinar on May 25, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. PDT. The webinar is open to organizations considering submitting a proposal. A recording will be available for registrants unable to attend the event. Registration  for the event is open. 

Following the review of white papers by the RFP Review Committee, consisting of FlexTech Council members and other subject matter experts (SMEs), FlexTech will invite selected organizations to submit full proposals. The evaluation criteria include:

• Rationale
• Budget
• Collaboration value
• Dual-use (industry and military) applicability
• Relevance to the FHE ecosystem
• Schedules and milestones
• Reasonable and stretch deliverables
• Overall proposal quality

FlexTech supports technical approaches that are revolutionary or have a significant element of risk, as well as approaches that are evolutionary improvements upon existing capability, which tend to be less risky and involve shorter development and delivery intervals. Research and development efforts funded by FlexTech are in the U.S. government’s Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL).

FlexTech encourages partnerships among industrial companies, R&D organizations, and university teams. ARL funding will be matched with contributions by grant recipients to cover the total project cost. Development partners retain ownership of intellectual property developed under FlexTech contracts.

About SEMI FlexTech
SEMI FlexTech is an industry-led public/private partnership that brings together scientists, engineers, and business development professionals from industry, government, and universities to collaboratively initiate research and the development of the infrastructure required to develop world-class flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) devices and products. Learn more.

About SEMI
SEMI^® connects more than 2,500 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA), the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG), Nano-Bio Materials Consortium (NBMC), and SOI Consortium are SEMI Strategic Technology Communities. Visit  www.semi.org, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on  LinkedIn and  Twitter to learn more.

Association Contact
Michael Hall/SEMI
Phone: 1.408.943.7988
Email:  mhall@semi.org