EPSRC to support further UK graphene research

Up to £20million is being made available to research on manufacturing processes and technologies linked to graphene that will help accelerate the development and generation of novel devices, applications technologies and systems. Dave Delpy, chief executive of the EPSRC said: "This call is hugely exciting. There is an increasing awareness among the global research community of the opportunities and the need to exploit and commercialise technology based on graphene and related nanomaterials. With a firm foundation of graphene science, the UK is in a prime position to build on its strength in this field to lead the commercialisation of this material." Proposals for research programmes should range between £1.5 and £3m and should seek to understand how to commercialise and enhance the 'manufacturability' of graphene as the material of choice. Programmes should have an emphasis on applications, strongly align with industry needs and foster an environment of collaboration across the UK. The programmes of research should also focus on developing people to stimulate the future sustainability of UK graphene engineering research and future commercialisation opportunities across a variety of sectors.