MANCHESTER will gain a new £60m graphene research centre, following an announcement by Chancellor George Osborne this week.
The new Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) is due to open in 2017, and has been designed to complement the National Graphene Institute (NGI), currently under construction and due to open at the University of Manchester next year.
Graphene is the thinnest, strongest, most flexible and conductive material in the world. A carbon sheet, one-atom thick and 200 times stronger than steel (but six times lighter), the material is set to 'revolutionise everything'.
Osborne said: “Graphene is potentially a game-changer – its properties make it one of the most important commercial scientific breakthroughs in recent memory. It presents tremendous opportunities with the potential to provide thousands of jobs of billions of pounds of further investment.
“This new centre, alongside the National Graphene Institute, has put Manchester and the UK in pole position to take advantage of these opportunities and lead the world in this exciting new technology.”
The University of Manchester has stated 'the facility will be critical in the development of commercial applications and in maintaining the UK’s world-leading position in graphene and related 2-D materials.
National Graphene Institute, due to open in 2015
Graphene is the thinnest, strongest, most flexible and conductive material in the world. A carbon sheet, one-atom thick and 200 times stronger than steel (but six times lighter), the material is set to 'revolutionise everything'.
Russian-born University of Manchester Professors, Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, isolated the material for the first time at the University in 2004. It won them the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010, knighthoods in 2012 and the Freedom of Manchester (the highest honour the city can bestow) earlier this year.
The GEIC will be partially funded by £15m from the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF), £5m from the Technology Strategy Board and £30m from Masdar, an Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy company owned by Mubadala - an investment vehicle of the Government of Abu Dhabi.
Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “The announcement of the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre in Manchester, to complement the existing National Graphene Centre, is a highly significant one.
“Not only does it underline the University of Manchester’s world-class credentials, it also reinforces the city’s place at the leading edge of advanced material research.
“It is another compelling illustration of Manchester’s ability to attract foreign investment in a competitive global market.This announcement is another manifestation of Abu Dhabi’s commitment to working with Manchester and the network of constructive relationships which have been built up over the last five years.
“Manchester is where graphene was first discovered and it’s genuinely exciting that the city will be in the forefront of work into its commercial applications.”
