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Graphene Flagship – Pushing the Graphene Revolution Forward

Graphene FlagShip

The Graphene Flagship is an emerging technology initiative launched in 2013 by the European Commission. With a budget of €1 billion, this coordinated research effort represented the most significant European initiative to date. The goal of the flagship is to bring graphene into European society, creating improved outcomes, economic growth, and opportunities for the European society at large. To do so, the European Commission has brought together researchers from academia and the industry, including over 150 groups that represent 23 different countries. 

2018 marks the official halfway point of the initiative and progress has been made in a multitude of graphene-related spaces. One of these fields is spintronics, recent developments through the flagship suggest that research will lead to improved information processing technologies including quantum computing. Sensor-based research has also shown promise. In fact, researchers at the University of Tartu have developed an “electronic nose” with the ability to detect pollutant gases. Biomedical technologies are another great example, the Flagship’s Biomedical Technologies Work Package is creating advanced neuroscience application and other clinically-relevant technologies.

Some of the most impressive progress has been made in the field of energy, more specifically, energy generation and storage. Members focusing on energy generation are creating large-scale solar technologies. From a storage perspective, members of the flagship are developing high-performance batteries and supercapacitor technologies suitable for commercialization.

The flagship is continuing to grow extensively with new partners from across Europe joining every year. More importantly, the reach and scope of the initiative have inspired other European companies to participate in the graphene revolution. Recently a venture, by the name of GraphenTech announced the development of the first-ever graphene-based blockchain company.

With the amount of progress that has transpired over the past five years, it’s safe to say that the next five will yield amazing results. To keep up with the developments in the space, you can follow the Flagship’s news page.