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February 26, 2015
The Honorable Edmund G. Brown, Jr.Governor of CaliforniaState Capitol BuildingSacramento, CA 95814
Dear Governor Brown,
We write to bring your attention to a California-led initiative to compete for the recently announcedfederally-led Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Innovation Institute (FHE-MII). The FHEMIT will be part of the President’s National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) and ledby the United States Department of Defense. It is our understanding that this effort is being led by theFlexTech Alliance, a San Jose-based nonprofit trade association chartered to ensure a robust supplychain for flexible printable electronics, and consists of a diverse partnership of California basedprivate companies, including Qualcomm, Applied Materials, and Flextronics; trade associations,including Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI); and academic institutions,including the University of California, San Diego, the University of California Los Angeles StanfordUniversity, the University of California, Berkeley, and Santa Clara University.
Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) is an emerging technology that has the potential to reshape theelectronics industry. Electronic devices can now be printed and attached to flexible, conformalmaterials like fabric or curved surfaces. FHE applications are diverse, with private companies and theUS military exploring FHEs for wearable electronics and smart electronics in consumer goods,healthcare, computers, telecommunications and defense. The White House’s recent announcement of aFlexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Innovation Institute as part of the President’s NationalNetwork for Manufacturing Innovation demonstrates the potential impact Flexible Hybrid Electronicscould have on the economy. With federal and nonfederal funding totaling $150 million and expertisegathered from throughout California and across the US, this institute would help address FHEchallenges and bridge the commercialization gap.
We encourage you and your office to stand with this FlexTech Alliance-led proposal to bring thisFlexible Hybrid Electronics institute to California. We believe that California is a natural and ideallocation for this FHE-MII. An institute located in the San Francisco Bay area would bring together thetalent and expertise of California’s IC industry and other leading technology companies, defensecontractors, academic institutions and end-users to achieve success and launch a new electronicsrevolution in our state.
Sincerely,
1/ 1 _Michael M. Honda An . Eshoo Zoe LofgrenMember of Congress ember of Congress Member of Congress
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