Taiwan’s state-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has signed a patent and trademark licensing agreement with FlexUP Technologies Corporation for the development of flexible display materials.
The agreement was signed on Friday. ITRI said it has succeeded in developing flexible universal panel (FlexUP) display technology. The technology integrates a silicon-based transistor array on a pliable transparent polyimide substrate to fabricate flexible thin-film devices.
The licensing deal is expected to help FlexUP Technologies tap into fast-growing market segments such as wrist-worn devices, smart handheld devices, and flexible medical sensors. FlexUP Technologies is a start-up company that spun off from ITRI in August.
Head of ITRI’s Display Technology Center, John Chen, said the technology could create business opportunities worth billions of dollars. He also said that with this technology, companies will be able to make flexible smart handheld devices that can be folded up.