THIN FILM ELECTRONICS AB

Their core work

Thin Film Electronics AB is a Swedish SME specializing in printed thin film electronics — a technology that uses printing processes (rather than silicon fabrication) to produce flexible, low-cost electronic components at scale. Their core product line centers on ferroelectric polymer memory and printed NFC/RFID tags, which embed data storage and wireless communication directly into labels, packaging, and surfaces. In H2020, they contributed their printed electronics manufacturing know-how to projects bridging large-area transistor printing (ATLASS) and IoT-connected smart tags (TagItSmart), acting as a technology provider rather than a research organization. Their commercial value lies in making electronics printable — lowering cost and enabling form factors impossible with conventional chips.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both H2020 projects fall within the same compact window (2015–2018), which makes a true before/after evolution difficult to chart. Within that window, there is a visible move from a manufacturing focus — printing transistors for large smart surfaces in ATLASS — toward a digital infrastructure focus in TagItSmart, where the tag becomes an entry point into an IoT service ecosystem. This suggests that even in the mid-2010s, Thin Film Electronics AB was positioning its printed tag technology not just as a component but as a platform enabler for connected-object applications.

Their trajectory points toward IoT and connected-packaging applications, where printed NFC tags serve as low-cost, disposable intelligence layers — a growing market in retail, food traceability, and smart manufacturing.

How they like to work

Thin Film Electronics AB joins consortia strictly as a participant — never leading a project in this dataset — which is consistent with their role as an industrial technology provider rather than a research coordinator. With 27 unique partners across just 2 projects, they engage in large, multi-stakeholder consortia rather than tight bilateral arrangements. This breadth suggests they are sought as a specialist hardware contributor that brings proprietary printed electronics technology others cannot replicate.

Over 2 projects, Thin Film Electronics AB collaborated with 27 unique partners spread across 10 countries, a notably wide footprint for an SME with minimal H2020 exposure. The geographic spread suggests they were embedded in large pan-European consortia drawing from across the EU research and industry ecosystem.

What sets them apart

Thin Film Electronics AB occupies a rare industrial niche: they are one of very few companies that commercially manufactures printed ferroelectric memory and NFC tags using polymer-based processes, giving them proprietary hardware that most research consortia cannot source elsewhere. For a consortium, they bring not just know-how but actual manufacturable components — bridging lab prototypes and market-ready products. As a Swedish SME in Linköping (a strong electronics research hub), they combine proximity to academic excellence with commercial production capability.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TagItSmart
  Largest single EC grant received (EUR 472,312) and the project most directly connected to their commercial NFC tag products, making it their clearest demonstration of technology-to-market contribution.
• ATLASS
  Tackles the manufacturing science behind large-area printed transistors — foundational R&D that underpins their entire printed electronics product family.