MANCHESTER, England, Jan. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smartkem, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMTK), a company developing a new class of organic semiconductor technology, today announced that it has entered into a 12-month paid proof-of-concept agreement with a global consumer electronics leader to develop next-generation smart wearables that incorporate a conformable MicroLED display utilizing Smartkem's proprietary organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) technology.

The collaboration is expected to develop curved surface wearable devices built around OTFT-based MicroLED display technology that addresses some of the most difficult challenges in wearables: extreme miniaturization, low power consumption, outdoor visibility and high impact resistance. The program will integrate Smartkem's proprietary OTFT technology with MicroLEDs using its "chip-first" architecture to address one of the smallest and most demanding form factors in consumer electronics.

"This agreement validates industry interest in Smartkem's technology and, if successful, moves Smartkem beyond platform validation and into product-level execution for wearable devices," said Ian Jenks, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Smartkem. "Compact wearables are among the most demanding form factors in consumer electronics, and MicroLED is increasingly recognized as the technology best suited to deliver the high brightness and efficiency they require."

"The wearable devices being developed through this collaboration can be manufactured at scale on Gen2.5 production lines, similar to those on which we have already developed and proven our processes at the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) ...