Program Overview

Since 1994, the U.S. Display Consortium has funded over 100 projects in the display supply chain R&D, with a total public/private investment in excess of U.S. $220 million. At the beginning of each calendar year, USDC solicits proposals from the display industry for candidate projects which will receive funding. Through a competitive bid process supported by the USDC Technical Council and USDC Governing Board, project proposals are downselected for available funds. The typical funding is structured as a 50/50 cost share with the industry participant. Please see the technical projects section of our website for more information on the projects that have been funded to date.

The technical program is funded with the assistance of the Army Research Laboratory (ARL). Each year the ARL provides funding to the USDC for allocation to the technical projects of interest. The mission of ARL is to enable technologies that will meet future Army combat needs and solve the critical technical barriers that limit the performance, reliability, functionality and affordability of battlefield systems. The USDC/ARL partnership funds technology advancements in the display supply chain that will meet the military and consumer needs.

R&D projects are supported for the development and commercialization of innovative new equipment & process technology for front-end and back-end manufacturing process steps; new materials required to produce displays; procured components required for display fabrication; and for software, hardware and design analysis for factory automation and CIM operation. The scope and focus of development projects to date can be found on our projects page.

Contract Award Process

The USDC Technical Council establishes the content and priority for the elements of the technical program. They have maintained an emphasis on creating next generation capability in manufacturing for most major display technology options, while assuring optimized cost-of-ownership. Member companies provide corporate resources to lead and to staff the project teams responsible for:

• Request for Proposal topics and target requirements

• Proposal selection defining the statement of work in concert with the chosen supplier

• Development program oversight

• Beta-site evaluation of the developed equipment/materials

USDC has developed a comprehensive program to address the manufacturing supply chain requirements of the FPD industry. Projects focus on the needs of USDC participating members and the display industry as a whole.

Project teams formed by the USDC Technical Council and Chief Technical Officer issue Request for Proposals. Contracts for awards are selected from the submitted proposals based upon factors such as innovation, level of risk, cost effectiveness, performance history and the ability to provide a substantial cost share.

The contract award process is typically done in two stages. The first stage is submission of a pre-proposal which is evaluated and downselected by the Technical Council. These companies are then offered the opportunity to submit full proposals. This stage requires the submitting company to become a USDC Sustaining Member if that company is not already a member.

The final proposals are evaluated by the Technical Council and downselected to those that meet the evaluation criteria and also fit within the USDC Technical Program budget for the year. These projects are then recommended to the USDC Governing Board for final approval.

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