The objective of the INFINIT" (Intelligent printing, Flexible and organic Electronics Excellence) project, which will receive European funding for four years, is to support the rapid progress of printed, flexible and organic electronics, providing professional profiles and specialist knowledge to promote their growth, also through the creation of a new system of education and vocational training capable of providing the knowledge and skills necessary for the required jobs.
Officially launched in Munich on 8 March, the INFINITE project, which is part of the European Executive Agency for Education and Culture, is an Erasmus Cove project. It also has a rich network of partners, including Organic Electronics Saxony (OES) and Ausbildungsverbund Olefinpartner (Avo) from Germany; Asociación Cluster de Impresión Funcional y Aditiva and the Salesians in Pamplona, from Spain; Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus VTT OY (VTT), University of Applied Sciences of Oulu (OAM) and Koulutuskuntayhtyma OSAO (OSAO) from Finland; and Latvijas Eletrotehnikas Inelektronikas Rupniecibas Asociacija and Ogres Tehnikums (OT) from Latvia.
The project will also benefit from the collaboration of a large number of European partners, whose purpose will be to promote and implement it in Europe, in all participating countries. As for the Autonomous Community of Navarre, the "INFINITE" project is supported by the Department of Education of the Government of Navarre and the Smart Cities Institute of the Public University of Navarre (UPNA). In addition, at the European level it will have the collaboration of France, Portugal and Greece.
Printed electronics, flexible and organic, is an emerging and cross-cutting field that encompasses several disciplines, such as electronics, materials science, chemistry, physics, printing technologies, and production and integration engineering. It is the production of electronic components and devices using printing and thermoforming techniques, which allow the creation of flexible, lightweight and economical electronic products. This means that you can print electronic circuits on paper, plastic, and other materials.
The areas of application have expanded rapidly over the years and today include a wide range of sectors, including healthcare, accessibility, construction, automotive and aerospace, consumer electronics, energy efficiency and more.
Spain is currently the second dominant market in the EU, after Germany and before France, Finland and Sweden. Continuous advances in printed, flexible and organic electronics also continue to drive innovation and open up new possibilities for applications and technologies. With the rapid evolution of the sector, new skills and profiles are increasingly required at different levels of education, from the operator to the engineering specialist.
People hired in companies producing electronic materials and equipment, printing and graphic arts, paper, packaging, industrial screen printing or even companies producing plastic products, will therefore have the opportunity to update their existing skills towards new knowledge and technologies. This project and the cross-section of profiles trained in functional printing and printed electronics will have a direct impact on these sectors, which will benefit from training courses for their employees, international training, and recruitment of qualified personnel.
In 2021, skilled workers in these sectors accounted for more than 11% of employment in Navarre and an income of almost €2 billion. Therefore, the specialised training that the implementation of INFINITE will offer will have an important impact on the demand for new qualified profiles.
In today's society, there is already a high demand for skilled labour able to design, manufacture and test these devices, but the industry continues to demand workers with knowledge and skills that go beyond the contents. The INFINITE project was created precisely to meet these needs.
