Mrs. Sotiria TZAMPAZIDOU
Position
Innovation Consultant at AXIA Innovation GmbHEntity:
AXIA Innovation GmbHCountry:
GermanyTheme: Lignin as component of sustainable printed electronics: An overview of IP landscape
| Sotiria Tzampazidou is a Chemical Engineer who graduated with an Integrated Master’s degree from the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2023. In 2024, she started working as an Innovation Consultant for AXIA Innovation, located in Munich, a company specializing in accompanying and supporting other companies at all stages of business development and marketing of products or ideas in the field of nanomaterials. She has contributed to many EU-funded projects such as MOZART, REDONDO, GREEN-LOOP, MY-FI, and Sustain a Print (SaP). Her main activities include being responsible for the conceptualization and development of Decision Support Tools (DST), including both front-end and back-end development, IPR Manager assessing partners’ innovations and performing extensive patent mapping analysis to ensure the Freedom to Operate, and being responsible for managing the exploitation initiatives of project partners. |
Abstract
| It is estimated that around 62 million tonnes of e-waste were generated in 2022. This is expected to rise to 82 million tonnes by 2030, while the recycling rate is projected to drop to 20% if no major changes are made. In order to effectively address the growing demand, it is essential to explore innovative approaches that prioritize reuse, repairability, and high-quality recycling. Recyclable Printed electronics (PE), offer a promising solution well-suited for circular electronics production. Based on Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) frameworks, PE can support a more sustainable lifecycle—from design to end-of-life—by enabling products that are easier to disassemble, recycle, or even biodegrade. Lignin and other biomass products emerge as promising materials for sustainable printed electronics due to their abundance and potential to replace fossil-based materials. The Sustain-a-Print (SaP) project, an EC funded research initiative, targets the development of sustainable materials and formulation for the PE industry. As the PE field matures and the Intellectual Property (IP) landscape rapidly evolves, strategic IP positioning is critical for companies to secure a competitive advantage. In this study an extensive patent analysis was performed, providing insights related to emerging trends and key players. The outcomes of this analysis guide technology developers and help them identify their freedom to operate. The development of lignin-carbon hybrids, a promising material for conductive ink formulations, illustrates the practical application of the current patent assessment. |