NextFlex® launches $5 million funding opportunity to strengthen US electronics industrial base and broaden adoption of hybrid electronics

Funding opportunity addresses key manufacturing challenges to transition hybrid electronics into defense and commercial markets such as aerospace, automotive, healthcare and more

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NextFlex, the Department of Defense (DoD) sponsored manufacturing innovation institute focused on maturing hybrid electronics, today released Project Call 10.0 (PC 10.0), its latest call for proposals that seek to fund projects that further the development and adoption of hybrid electronics while addressing key challenges in advanced manufacturing. The total PC 10.0 project value is expected to exceed $10 million (including NextFlex investment and performer cost share), bringing the total anticipated investment in advancing hybrid electronics since NextFlex's formation to more than $165 million.

Building from the success of past project calls, PC 10.0 uses broadly defined topics to enable a diverse proposer base, with special emphasis on areas in which hybrid electronics can impact high-priority U.S. manufacturing opportunities and areas of emerging importance within the electronics manufacturing community. PC 10.0 emphasizes projects that focus on solving manufacturing challenges and demonstrate key capabilities enabled by hybrid electronics.

"Since NextFlex was established nearly a decade ago, the institute, its members, and Department of Defense partners have worked together to roadmap and advance hybrid electronics technology and manufacturing through collaborative technical projects. With PC 10, we continue this history of addressing the priorities of the U.S. manufacturing industrial base to strengthen its ability to meet both commercial and defense requirements," said Dr. Scott Miller, NextFlex director of technology.

Proposals focused on manufacturing challenges and advancing technology transitions are sought in these topic areas:

10.1 – Maturing and Derisking Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Processes and Devices
10.2 – AI/ML for Design, Manufacturing and Qualification of Hybrid Electronics
10.3 – Hybrid Electronics Platform Demonstrator
10.4 – Additive Manufacturing and Repair of Electronics in the Defense Industrial Base
10.5 – Platform Demonstrator for Reduced Life Cycle Costs and Improved DoD Readiness
10.6 – Open Topic for New Project Leads

In addition, NextFlex announces the release of its latest public hybrid electronics technology roadmaps, developed by subject matter experts from industry, academia and government. The NextFlex technical working groups in 11 technical areas of emphasis – automotive; device integration & packaging; materials; modeling & design; printed components & microfluidics; standards, test & reliability; asset monitoring systems; flexible power; human monitoring systems; integrated antenna arrays; and soft wearable robotics – update the roadmaps each year. The public roadmaps summarize the detailed information on the current state of the art, market opportunities and needs, key stakeholders, a five-year forward-looking development roadmap and prioritized technical gaps identified by each technical working group in the full-version roadmaps to which NextFlex members have access. These roadmaps inform the priorities and shape the topics for NextFlex project calls. The roadmaps can be viewed here.

More information on NextFlex's PC 10.0, including proposal submission instructions and registration for the Proposer's Day & Teaming webinar on March 27 can be found here. Proposals are due May 21.

About NextFlex
NextFlex is a consortium of companies, academic institutions, non-profits and state, local and federal governments with a shared goal of advancing U.S. manufacturing of flexible and additive hybrid electronics. Since its formation in 2015, NextFlex's elite team of thought leaders, educators, problem solvers and manufacturers have come together to collectively facilitate innovation, narrow the manufacturing workforce gap and promote sustainable manufacturing ecosystems. For more information, visit www.nextflex.us and follow NextFlex on LinkedIn.

About flexible and additive hybrid electronics
Flexible and additive hybrid electronics give everyday products the power of silicon ICs by combining them with new and unique low-cost and environmentally friendly additive printing processes and new materials, including structural and conformal electronics and additive packaging solutions using novel materials. The result is fast time to market, lightweight, low-cost and highly efficient smart products that can be flexible, conformable and stretchable with innumerable uses for commercial and defense applications.

This material is based on research sponsored by Air Force Research Laboratory under agreement number FA8650-20-2-5506, as conducted through the hybrid electronics manufacturing innovation institute, NextFlex. The U.S. government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation thereon.

Contacts

NextFlex
Karen Savala, 408-797-2219
[email protected]

Bospar
Caroline Kamerschen
[email protected]

SOURCE NextFlex