Pilot project for €1billion research programme on graphene launched

The large scale initiative is part of the EU's Future Emerging Technology flagship pilot and will bring together an interdisciplinary European research community to act as a sustainable incubator of new branches of ICT applications. It will also ensure European industries have a 'major role' in the radical technology shift over the next 10 years. The flagship already includes more than 130 research groups, representing 80 academic and industrial partners in 21 European countries. The coordination action will be lead by a consortium of nine partners who have pioneered graphene research, innovation, and networking activities. Coordinated by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, it includes the Universities of Manchester, Lancaster, and Cambridge, the Catalan Institute of Nanotechnology in Spain, the Italian National Research Council, the European Science Foundation, AMO in Germany and Nokia. "We believe graphene can trigger a smart and sustainable carbon revolution, with profound impact in information and communication technology and everyday life," said GRAPHENE-CA project leader Professor Jari Kinaret (pictured), Chalmers University of Technology. "Its unique properties will spawn innovation on an unprecedented scale and scope for high speed, transparent and flexible consumer electronics, novel information processing devices, biosensors, supercapacitors and lightweight composites for cars and planes. We are convinced that exploiting the full potential of graphene will have huge impacts on society at large and are thrilled that the EU Commission shares our view and believes in our focused and open approach to moving forward." The advisory council includes Nobel Laureates Andre Geim (University of Manchester), Konstantin Novoselov (University of Manchester), Albert Fert (THALES) and Klaus von Klitzing (Max-Planck Institute). Leading graphene theoretician Francisco Guinea (CSIC, Spain), Luigi Colombo (Texas Instruments) and Byung Hee Hong (SKK University, Korea) will also be involved. The pilot phase of the project started on May 1. Its main task is to pave the way for the full, 10 year, €1bn flagship programme. The plan for this will be submitted to the European Commission in 2012, with a view to launching in 2013.