IDTechEx's Printed Electronics Europe event in Dresden, on April 7-8, attendance has achieved record levels, and is on track to bring together over 800 attendees, by far the World's largest and most comprehensive event on the topic

The news media are full of the details of the global financial meltdown. Is this affecting finance for the small companies and start-ups involved in printed and potentially printed electronics and electrics? We think not.

Raghu Das covers the highlights at Printed Electronics USA 2008 where attendance reached almost 700 people and 55 exhibitors - making this event the largest in the World on the topic.

At a time of financial uncertainty, companies know they must accelerate their move into the future. That is why there is a huge interest in printed electronics, a subject that pushes all the right buttons - environmental, affordable and leading to a new market of $300 billion that is just there for the taking. That is why the giant corporations are attending Printed Electronics USA, December 3-4 in San Jose, California.

How Printed Electronics is changing consumer goods and services - highlights from the forthcoming Printed Electronics USA event

Universities are invited to showcase printed electronics work. The event serves as the ideal platform to showcase your work and meet with companies that can use your technology or help you gain traction in industry.

The IDTechEx Knowledgebase of over 3,500 RFID projects in 109 countries illustrates how this market of over $5 billion is rapidly diversifying.

In the build up to the annual IDTechEx RFID USA event in Boston this February and the latest IDTechEx RFID forecasts, Raghu Das reviews RFID progress in 2007.

A new range of transistors using thin films of organic or inorganic compounds as the semiconductors and gate dielectrics are being pursued by organizations in over 30 countries. The new IDTechEx report

It was sad that the Food and Drug Administration backed off from urgently pushing through standards and rapid adoption of RFID at item level on drugs, after its earlier firm lead in 2005-6. However, its recommendation remains but with industry left to set the pace.

The market for organic and printed electronics will rise from $1.18 billion in 2007 to over $300 billion in 20 years, becoming a huge business as the technology offers many different benefits. Here Raghu Das, CEO of IDTechEx, reveals market forecasts and opportunities based on the new IDTechEx report Organic & Printed Electronics Forecasts, Players & Opportunities 2007-2027.

As the $5 billion RFID market moves strongly to over $25 billion in ten years, advances are on a broad front. This year, the IDTechEx RFID Europe conference in Cambridge UK 18-19 September is growing and widening its scope to reflect this booming industry. RFID is an enabling technology that provides safety, security, cost reduction, increased sales, reduced crime and much more. In this article the author, Dr. Peter Harrop looks at some recent examples.

The future $300 billion market for printed electronics is emerging via thin film electronics. The contribution of organic materials to this is greatly publicized but the best devices being developed usually rely on inorganic or combined inorganic/organic technology. The more select groups developing these inorganic materials and devices have a great future. IDTechEx has published the first study on Inorganic Printed and Thin Film Electronics. Here Dr Peter Harrop summarises some of the findings.

The main emphasis of RFID use and supply has radically changed course. That was the message of the large IDTechEx RFID Smart Labels USA event in Boston last week. The business is booming in just about every sector other than the supply of pallet and case tagging to retailer and military mandates.

In 2007, approximately 650 billion articles will be sent through postal and courier systems around the world. After retail, the tagging of each postal item is the next largest potential market for RFID by volume of tags. There are numerous significant RFID roll-outs in this sector which are under publicized, and here Raghu Das from IDTechEx summarises the latest progress.

RFID in healthcare is growing rapidly to become a $2.1 billion global business in 2016. Smart packaging for healthcare has additional value, for example, ensuring that people take the correct pills at the right time. RFID can improve the lives of patients in many different ways...

Investors seek unique technologies, then some major customers. Passive RFID oversupplied; but opportunities for active RFID and software.

The market for RFID tags and systems in healthcare will rise rapidly from $90 million in 2006 to $2.1 billion in 2016. Learn more in our summary of our new research report.

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The fifth - and largest - IDTechEx event RFID Smart Labels USA event