The demand for sustainable product ideas has grown significantly, as this year’s OE-A Competition clearly shows. The winners of the annual flexible and printed electronics competition and the “LOPEC Start-Up Competition” were announced at LOPEC 2024.
The range of submissions in this OE-A Competition 2024 was wide: From energy-autonomous sensors for tyres to muscle sensors for exoskeletons to a fully printed flexible printed circuit board. Companies and institutes from all over the world submitted their latest visions and products in the field of flexible, organic and printed electronics for the OE-A Competition 2024, organised annually by the Organic and Printed Electronics Association (OE-A), a working group within VDMA. The top four entries were awarded at LOPEC 2024, the international exhibition and conference for flexible, organic and printed electronics, on 3-5 March, in Munich, Germany.
Expert jury
The jury, consisting of representatives from international companies and institutes, evaluated 16 entries in three categories. LOPEC attendees were also able to vote. At the OE-A booth, where all the demonstrators were on display, visitors were encouraged to vote for their favourite product in the category “Public Choice Award”.
The competition challenges the printed electronics industry each year to bring their newest and most promising ideas and products. This year’s OE-A competition featured various cutting-edge products with a strong link to sustainability. “The OE-A Competition is a great opportunity to present fresh ideas to an international audience,” said Dr. Klaus Hecker, Managing Director of the OE-A.” We see a strong drive to improve the sustainability of printed electronics further by developing new materials, and processes”, Klaus Hecker continued.
The awards were officially handed over during the LOPEC Award Show to the following winners:
Best Prototype and New Product
Period-after-opening time tracker
FLEEP Technologies, IT
Best Freestyle Demonstrator
Integrated de-icing system for wind turbine blades
Tekniker, ES
Best Publicly Funded Project
Energy autonomous sensor system for smart tyres
Public Choice Award
3D HMI Automotive
EURECAT, ES
Fostering young talents
In addition to the established competition, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA and the OE-A Working Group Education have for the first time launched the “Student Open Innovation Challenge” for graduate and undergraduate students. To bring their ideas to life, the students were provided with the Henkel Sensor Kit, which includes four types of printed sensors. “There is a lot of talent at the universities. The winner’s project makes a direct contribution to the issue of caregiving and to easing the burden on caregivers,” explained Klaus Hecker.
Student Open Innovation Challenge
Patient Monitoring System
Loughborough University, UK
Web-Seminar on 25 April
The OE-A will also host the Web-Seminar “Printed Electronics Insights: OE-A Competition 2024 – The Winners” on 25 April 25, 15:30 h CEST. The winners of each category will present their projects online to the community and all those who are interested in the further development of printed electronics.
LOPEC Start-up Competition 2024
As part of the LOPEC Business Conference, the OE-A supports young companies and start-ups with the Start-up Competition. “The aim of the Start-up Competition is to bring together partners and investors with young entrepreneurs to support the realisation of their business. LOPEC fosters young companies with the opportunity to give a pitch in the Forum and to exhibit in the dedicated Start-up area,” explains Wolfgang Mildner, General Chair of LOPEC.
Best Business Case
Smart window foil to protect buildings from unwanted solar heat
AMPERIAL Technologies, DE
Most Impactful Technology/Product
Biofuel Cells – Batteries made sustainable
BeFC Bioenzymatic Fuel Cells , FR