The National Research Council Canada (NRC) has long been a leading research and technical organization, providing R&D and support for Canadian industries. As the NRC heads into its 100^th anniversary in 2016, the Council is bringing its expertise and first-class facilities to the field of printed electronics (PE).
 
Thomas Ducellier, Executive Director, Printable Electronics Flagship Program for the National Research Council Canada, said that the decision to develop the Canadian printed electronics industry is a natural fit with Canada’s strong background in a wide variety of industries.
 
“Our mandate is to be a research and technical resource for the federal government to help Canadian industry with its R&D needs,” Ducellier said. “We reviewed a number of fields and selected printed electronics. Printed electronics is a technical platform used in a wide variety of industries, from automotive and defense to packaging and information and communications technology (ICT) fields.
 
“Canada has a very strong paper and packaging industry, and printed electronics can be very valuable for Canadian industry,” he added. “The NRC also has a lot of experience in organic photovoltaics (OPVs), organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and nano embossing, which is all relevant to printed electronics.”
 
There was immediate interest in the NRC’s printed electronics efforts. Ducellier said that the NRC typically has 20 companies partnering with it, and in addition, the NRC formed a printed electronics consortium with 14 stakeholders. This ultimately led to the formation of the Canadian Printable Electronics Industry Association (CPEIA), which launched in November 2014.
 
“We felt it was important to have a meeting and networking point and a unified voice, which led to the creation of the CPEIA,” said Ducellier.
 
One initial goal was to have 50 members, which the association already has attained, and the CPEIA is now hosting a sold-out conference in Montreal.
 
“In a mere six months, we reached our goal of 50 members in the CPEIA, which shows that there is a need for this platform in Canada,” said Ducellier. “The CPEIA’s conference is currently being held in Montreal, and there is a lot of energy there.”
 
The NRC has two facilities dedicated to printable electronics. The NRC’s Ottawa research facility has expertise in RFID, NFC, packaging, security printing, photovoltaics, thin film transistors and sensors. Its printing capabilities include large scale inkjet, sheet-to-sheet gravure, flexo and screen and solution processing.
 
The Boucherville research facility focuses on printing, security printing, authentication and brand security, healthcare and diagnostics. It offers cutting-edge knowledge in automated nano imprinting and nano embossing. The NRC noted that it also has successfully developed nano imprint lithography techniques.
 
“We have a deep knowledge of advanced materials, as well as unique equipment for nanocarbons and nano embossing,” Ducellier noted. “We have also acquired very sophisticated printing capabilities.”
 
Ducellier said that the NRC sees tremendous potential for the printed electronics industry.
 
“We want to create jobs as well as help existing printed electronics efforts grow in Canada,” he noted. “We also want to create a true ecosystem, and we have a plan to deliver on that. There are lots of interesting projects our partners are working on.
 
“We have very ambitious goals,” Ducellier added. “By 2022, we want to have 1,300 jobs in the printed electronics field, with revenues reaching $375 million in PE-related activities. We can have a dramatic impact on the economy.”