Printed logic to be focus for Navarre region of Spain

LONDON — Finnish research institution VTT has said it is providing a study on "printed intelligence" to the Asociacion de la Industria Navarra that outlines the expertise needed for the research and development of printed logic technology, and the applications that can expect to benefit from it.

A total of 4.2 million euro (about $6.1 million) has been spent on creating centre of excellence for printed electronics in Navarre, northern Spain. There are plans to spend 900,000 euro (about $1.3 million) on equipment by the end of 2010 and the center of excellence will have an operating budget for 2011 of 1.1 million euro (about $1.6 million). The expectation is that the center can create industrial growth in new areas while supporting sectors in which the region is already strong.

A "roadmap" for Navarre has been prepared by a team of experts at VTT. Printed electronics applications in Navarre could include the food industry, medicine and renewable energy, VTT indicated. It features three paths for each of the selected sectors, a listing of the technologies that best fit each of these scenarios and their feasibility for commercial use, VTT said. The final stage of the project started in August with the selection of the principal technologies to be developed and their practical applications and with the securing of the expertise necessary for their development. The roadmap study is being funded by the Spanish's Ministry of Science and Innovation and the government of the autonomous region of Navarre. VTT said the value of its commission was just under 100,000 euros (about $145,000) so far.

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