A First step towards skilling in Printed Intelligence – a workshop by ASAP Kerala.
A first of its kind, one-day online hands-on workshop about Printed Intelligence (PI) was conducted jointly by Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP) KERALA and i4 Technologies on 25th January 2025. The workshop aimed to bring the technology to Indian subcontinent and leverage the skills available in the country by empowerment of their inclusive skill sets through training program. Participants of the workshop were from multiple disciplines: engineering, science and arts. Speakers from across the globe delivered sessions on printed intelligence and mentored students to prepare a business plan.
There were over 110 student / faculty members present throughout the day. The attendees from student fraternity had an immersive participation in the session from the start to the end.
Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP) Kerala is a Section-8 Company of the Department of Higher Education, Government of Kerala, that focuses on skilling students and the general community to enhance their employability. I4 Technologies, a GCC-based Dubai Company, is into research, analysis and development in the domain of Printed Intelligence. Having an acclamation of fifteen plus years in deep-tech disruptive technologies, it creates operational niches in various specialized domain specific fields across the globe.
I4 technologies has decided to launch effectively the Indian operations in 2025 in conjunction and collaboration with corporate and government sector entities.
Demarcating the methods of electrophoretic, electrochromic and electroluminescence, i4 Technologies has used their expertise using mechanised system of coating process of material science and printing process of silk screen, have developed and commissioned pilot level the inorganic pigmented back lit displays for signage applications ranging from 60 to 100 candelas of glow /intensity of illuminance for MNC brands like Macdonald, Coco-cola, Nestle, Red bull and also local consumer brands of Dubai like Alrawabi, etc.
Printed Intelligence is a multidisciplinary enabling technology that enables the integration of electronic functionality into everyday objects through printing technologies. It focuses on new functionalities of everyday high volume printable items. It is a disruptive technology involving functional integrated systems, comprising of electronic, optoelectronics, chemical or biological functionalities. Low Energy, less space and less weight are the key drivers and due to less material use, it is a highly sustainable technology.
Though PI in India is in the nascent stage, the need for smaller and light-weight electronic subsystems is increasing the possibility of adopting PI. The translation from populated electronics to Printed Intelligence and innovation of new segments for PI products are the driving factors for manufacturing PI-based subsystems.
Due to lack of expertise in this area, courses in PI are not common in Indian institutions and students rarely come across the term PI. However, academic courses and programmes that are a re-requisite for PI are already well established in India, eg. Electronics-based programmes, Material sciences, printing technology, new product development (NPD), entrepreneurship, etc. Therefore, if students are given basic training on the core PI concepts, it is possible to create a large workforce in this segment which will expedite the PI development in India.
Objectives of the Workshop
The online workshop was meant for students and faculty members from colleges and polytechnics in Kerala. The objectives of the workshop were:
To introduce the basics of trending technology namely Printed Intelligence (PI) and its applications.
To mentor the students to prepare a business plan for a PI product as a hands-on activity.
To enable the students to be confident enough to take up their final year project in PI.
To enthuse the students to consider PI as a promising domain for a dream career.
Dr. Umer Salim, founder, I4 Technologies, gave the keynote address on ‘Introduction to Printed Intelligence’. He introduced the technology and emphasised the humungous scope of the technology. He demonstrated the unique characteristics of PI products, namely flexibility and foldability.
Dr Raimo Korhonen, the former R&D Head of VTT Printed Intelligence Research, Finland, briefed the history of Printed Intelligence from Finland as early as in the year 2000.
Dr.TKS Lakshmi Priya, Academics Head (Skilling & Training) i4 Technologies, started with a comparison between conventional electronics and printed electronics and then opened up the vast spectrum of PI applications. Among them, she gave specific use-cases for PI applications of Flexible Displays.
Dr Mark Holterman, a research scientist and professor of surgery and pediatrics, Illinois, is presently working on the disruptive technology to provide solutions to medical challenges including invasive vaccines, painless diagnosis, etc.
In the hands-on session, the students submitted their business plan and innovative PI based product as a solution online for evaluation. Dr.Mark Holterman, the speaker from USA, announced a 50USD award to the best submissions, one in each use-case, on-the-spot.
At the end of the hands-on session, there were 24 submissions in four different verticals: Vaccine Patch, Cancer detection, non-invasive Diabetes monitor and Smart Street lights. The business model canvas prepared by the students were quite impressive. Four students’ business model canvas were declared as the best.
The one-day online workshop was a successful one.
