Henning Sirringhaus Fosters an Ideal Marriage of University Research and Entrepreneurship
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Henning Sirringhaus Fosters an Ideal Marriage of University Research and Entrepreneurship When Henning Sirringhaus became the Hitachi Professor of Electron Device Physics at Cambridge University, he faced a dilemma. He said, “I don’t really get very excited by basic science for which there is no application in sight on the horizon and where I couldn’t explain to my wife and children why I’m doing that.” The solution was to combine science with commerce. Today he is the cofounder and chief scientist of Plastic Logic, a company that specializes in very thin, flat-panel displays, all while simultaneously working in academia. It has proven to be an ideal marriage of research and entrepreneurship. Sirringhaus (along with co-founder Richard Friend) has witnessed the small start-up company, Plastic Logic, grow into three home bases: Cambridge, United Kingdom; Mountain View, California in the United States; and Dresden, Germany with nearly 200 employees. Blending science and business has proven beneficial for both arenas. Sirringhaus said, “It happens quite often when you get involved in a spin-off company, some of the development issues actually hide some very interesting scientific questions, and you find them by working with a company. And sometimes that inspires our scientific research.” Sirringhaus began his university education in his homeland of Germany. He then moved to Switzerland and eventually earned a PhD degree from ETH Zürich in semiconductor physics. Next, it was off to the United States to do post-doctoral work at Princeton before finally landing at Cambridge where he is the Hitachi Professor of Electron Device Physics. He is also head of the Microelectronics and Optoelectronics Group working on the field of charge transport in organic semiconductors and their application in fieldeffect transistors. In 2000 he co-founded
Henning Sirringhaus, co-founder of Plastic Logic.
Plastic Logic Ltd., a technology start-up company commercializing printed organic transistor technology. “Most young academics who see an opportunity for commercializing their science face that dilemma that you’re not quite sure whether you should devote 100% of your energy on your scientific research and writing as many publications as possible, or whether you can, at least, spend part of your time on helping a young spinoff to come off the ground.” Cambridge has become a center for high-technology and Plastic Logic is just one of many start-up companies. Sirringhaus estimates that there are nearly 30,000 high-tech jobs in the area. “Not as
big as Silicon Valley,” he said; “but there is a certain entrepreneurial culture.” But why Cambridge? “It’s a combination of many factors,” according to Sirringhaus; “Never underestimate the infrastructure.” He credits the University for encouraging such partnerships between technology and business. “The University runs entrepreneur courses where undergraduate and graduate students can attend and be introduced to some of the things they need to know—how to raise money, how to put together a business p
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