Thin, layered materials get fat portfolio in Europe

Solar cells. Water desalination. Dialysis. Sensors. Oil extraction. Those are just some of the potential applications that scientists envision for graphene and related materials. The Graphene Flagship, which kicked off in mid-October, is one of the European Commission’s two future and emerging technologies flagship projects—well-funded, decade-long, multidisciplinary efforts with grand ambitions for science and society. (See the story on the other flagship, the Human Brain Project, on page 20 .)

Graphene, which consists of a single layer of carbon atoms, is strong, lightweight, flexible, and transparent, and it is a good conductor of heat and electricity. “The challenge is to bring the unique properties from the lab to the marketplace,” says Andrea Ferrari, a professor of nanotechnology at the University of Cambridge and chair of the flagship’s executive board. “We want to revolutionize multiple industries. We want to create jobs. We want the applications to benefit society.” The Graphene Flagship brings together some 125 groups in universities, academic and research institutes, and industry in 17 countries across Europe to coordinate their work on graphene and other layered materials and hybrid systems.

“To bridge the gap from basic research to applications, you need to have expertise in materials production, in making components from those materials, and in integrating components into systems—airplanes, cars, electronics, whatever,” says flagship director Jari Kinaret, a condensed-matter theorist at Chalmers University of Technology in Göteborg, Sweden. “In Europe, there is not a single country that can integrate all of this.”

The flagship projects are each expected to receive about €1 billion ($1.3 billion) from the European Commission and member states, plus contributions from participating institutions and industries. The exact numbers will be decided in stages. For now, the Graphene Flagship can count on €54 million from the EC through March 2016, when Horizon 2020, Europe’s next long-term strategy, goes into effect. “The most important thing,” says Kinaret, “is the time period. It’s rare to talk about 10-year projects.”