RoLA–FLEX is an industry driven project which provides innovative solutions to the existing OLAE challenges associated with performance and lifetime, through: (a) the fabrication and upscaling of organic semiconductors with high charge mobilities (up to 10 cm2/Vs) and high power conversion efficiencies (16% in OPV cell and 12% in OPV module); (b) the development of metal oxides for charge carrier selective contacts and metal nanoinks for highly conductive micropatterns with increased environmental stability; (c) the seamless incorporation of high speed laser digital processing in Roll-2-Roll OPV module fabrication and photolithography based OTFT manufacturing and (d) the demonstration of two TRL5+ OLAE prototypes enabled by the developed materials and innovative processes: 1. A smart energy platform for IoT devices powered by ITO-free and flexible OPVs operating at low indoor light conditions. 2. A new generation of bezel-less and fully bendable smart watches integrating FHD, ultra-bright OLCD/OTFT displays. RoLA-FLEX will advance all the aforementioned technologies to at least TRL5 within its timeframe. RoLA-FLEX will create an opportunity for a yearly increase in revenues of almost €400 M only 6 years after its end, accompanied by hundreds of new jobs. A timely investment in the early days of these new markets can ensure significant market share for the SMEs and Industries involved and greatly boost EU’s competitiveness globally.

Digitizing biomarkers analysis by quantifying them at the single-molecule level is the new frontier for advancing the science of precision health. The SiMBiT project will develop a bio-electronic smart system leveraging on an existing lab-based proof-of-concept that can perform single-molecule detection of both proteins and DNA bio-markers. Specifically, the SiMBiT activities will develop the lab-based device into a cost-effective portable multiplexing array prototype that integrates, with a modular approach, novel materials and standard components/interfaces. The SiMBiT platform exhibits enhanced sensing capabilities: specificity towards both genomic and protein markers along with single-molecule detection limits and time-to-results within two hours. This makes the SiMBiT prototype the world best performing bio-electronic sensing system ever. SiMBiT will reach these ambitious goals with a multidisciplinary research effort involving device-physicists, analytical-chemists, bio-chemists, clinicians, electronic- and system-engineers. The platform is also single-use and cost-effective and can work in low-resource settings. The SiMBiT field-effect sensing system will be fabricated by means of future mass-manufacturable, large-area compatible, scalable techniques such as printing and other direct-writing processes. 3D printing of a module is also foreseen. The SiMBiT prototype will demonstrate, for first time, a matrix of up to 96 bio-electronic sensors and a Si IC chip for the processing of all data coming from the matrix, multiplexing single-molecule detection. As the Si IC pins are limited the chip area is reduced and its cost minimized, enabling a single-use assay plate. SiMBiT will apply the multiplexing single molecule technology to the early detection of human pancreatic neoplasms in a well-defined clinical context, performing simultaneous analysis of genomic and protein markers with a minimal sample volume, reduced costs and reduced time-to-results.

The possibility to control electronic properties through doping is a defining property of semiconductors. As the surge in interest in doped organic semiconductors over the last decade was mainly driven by an interest in thermoelectric applications, focus lay largely on optimizing steady-state electronic properties of bulk materials. Here, we target spatio-temporal control over doping and combine this with a holistic view of doping, exploring the relation between doping and ‘all’ material properties, including thermal, mechanical and biological aspects. Not only allows this to solve urgent problems (contact resistance), it also enables completely new (switchable, reconfigurable) devices. The topic is inspired by a combination of scientific curiosity and a strong feeling of practical urgency, as reflected by the consortium composition of 8 universities, 4 research institutes and 4 companies. The latter jointly cover all major application areas of organic electronics, including light emission, photovoltaics, logic circuitry as well as instrumentation/modeling – each a multi-billion-euro market. The strong company involvement allows us to expose all doctoral candidates to academic and commercial working environments through a balanced secondment plan. Likewise, the training program complements the transfer of scientific skills (much beyond the specific topic, incl. open science) with personal and entrepreneurial skills, including communication to various audiences, career development, intellectual property and startup-founding, etc. On short to intermediate time scales, the impact of FADOS will be to enhance European competitiveness in major, growing markets–and beautiful science. On longer time scales, we expect that FADOS will open new fields in which the unique possibilities of soft semiconductors in terms of solution-based local and dynamic tuning of (opto)electronic, thermal, mechanical and biological properties are explored for truly new and green functionalities.