Large Area Flexible Electronics Center

This is the announcement that was made on an internal mailing list last month.
This is one of the largest grant given by any funding agency to one institute in one shot.


A Center for Large Area Flexible Electronics (FlexE Centre), at a total cost of Rs. 133 Crores has been sanctioned by DeitY to IIT Kanpur, in which IIT Kanpur is providing the building infrastructure and part of the manpower. The centre will function as a national centre in the area.

It will have close interaction with the industry. The Center has been proposed by the team from SCDT, involving Professors Baquer Mazhari, Deepak Gupta, S.S.K. Iyer, Anshu Gaur, Ashish Garg, Y.N. Mohapatra, Siddhartha Panda, Monica Katiyar, and Dr. Ashish Gupta The objectives of the Centre are to (a) conduct basic studies and scientific investigations relevant to field of large area flexible electronics, (b) conduct research and development in large area flexible electronics by developing partnership with industry and with a view that potentially leads to manufacturing, (c) facilitate formation of industrial ecosystem by addressing various aspects, products, materials and machines, and academic ecosystem by engaging with reputed centers internationally and individuals nationally, (d) incubate small scale industry related to flexible electronics, (e) build strategic partnerships that hasten the development cycle and (f) undertake human resource development in relevant area.

Some of the products envisaged in this Centre are printable electronic tags for brand protection, anti-counterfeiting printed electronic solutions for medicine package, flexible solar module, circuit lab on paper, OLED lighting, flexible temperature sensor and conductive inks.

As envisioned, the Center will have manpower of approximately 50 persons. In addition, there will be approximately 30-50 persons stationed in IIT Kanpur from partner industries and mission based laboratories such as DRDO, C-DAC. Including the students, total manpower strength of the center will be approximately 150 persons.The center will be managed by a Chief Operating Officer