National Graphene Institute | Booth Street East | 4 fl | App

[Slow Burn]

He just means the sooner we have an operational centre for working with Graphene up and running in Manchester, the better. In this case what happens inside the building is much more important than what the building looks like

[VDB]

Precisely. It's vital for our quickly narrowing future and, in typical British form, its not under construction yet.

Christ sake.

[hifive605]

^ its not like one research center will instantly transform the fate of the UK for the better - that's not how science works guys.. however, one nice looking building will instantly improve Manchester..

[LNGCats]

BBC website has article on further funding to universities fit graphene research.

Trying to commercialise the product.

[jrb]

Originally Posted by LNGCats

BBC website has article on further funding to universities fit graphene research.

Trying to commercialise the product.

BBC News.

Graphene research gets £21.5m investment fund Graphene has been hailed as a miracle material for its strength and electronic properties.

The Chancellor, George Osborne, has announced extra funding to boost the UK's development of the so-called "super-material" graphene.

It is one of the lightest yet strongest and most conductive materials known to man - and was originally discovered by scientists at Manchester University.

Now other universities will be asked to research potential commercial uses.

Mr Osborne said the £21.5m investment fund would aim to take the technology from the lab to the factory floor.

He has previously pledged money for such research, including £50m in 2011.

Graphene is made of sheets of carbon just one atom thick, and has outstanding mechanical strength and electronic properties.

Manchester University academics Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics for demonstrating its properties.

It is hoped that the material will be used in a wide array of industrial and everyday applications.

Government funding

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has identified the most promising graphene-related research projects in British universities to benefit from state funding.

The University of Cambridge has been awarded more than £12m for research into graphene flexible electronics and opto-electronics, which could include things like touch-screens and other display devices.

London's Imperial College will receive over £4.5m to investigate aerospace applications of graphene.



We need to support our universities, they're one of the jewels in the crown of the British economy”
End Quote
George Osborne

Chancellor

The other successful projects are based at Durham University, the University of Manchester, the University of Exeter and Royal Holloway.

The universities will work with industrial partners including Nokia, BAE Systems, Procter & Gamble, Qinetiq, Rolls-Royce, Dyson, Sharp and Philips Research, which will together bring in a further £12m in investment.

Mr Osborne told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there had been "enormous competition" for the graphene research to be done elsewhere in the world, rather than the UK.

He said: "We had to act very quickly... to step in and say we're going to provide funding here in Britain for that activity. That's an example of actually actively backing a winner to keep it in the UK."

Mr Osborne said there were several ways in which the UK could become an attractive location for scientific research, including more financial backing from the government, protecting spending on science, and more investment in big capital science projects.

He added that Britain's universities - the "jewels in the crown" of the UK economy - needed to be protected.

[jrb]

Manchester University News.

Changing our material future, layer by layer

20 Dec 2012

Researchers are aiming to develop a new class of materials with remarkable properties using one atom-thick substances such as graphene in a new collaborative project.

The proposal, which will involve researchers from the Universities of Manchester, Cambridge and Lancaster, has been awarded 13.4 million Euros (around £11m) to form a “Synergy Group” by the European Research Council (ERC).

It will aim to utilise two-dimensional substances, such as wonder material graphene, to engineer new types of materials which are just a few atoms thick, but nevertheless have the power to revolutionise the future development of devices such as solar cells, and flexible and transparent electronics.

Starting with one atom-thick substances which possess remarkable properties, the group will focus on ways in which they can be layered up to form ‘heterostructures’. These heterostructures will still be just a few atoms thick, but will combine the properties of the different two-dimensional materials which comprise them, effectively enabling developers to embed the functions of a device into its very fabric.

For example, the research team envisage combining an atomic layer which functions as a sensor, with layers that function variously as an amplifier, transistor, or solar cell, for power generation. The resulting material, still just a few atomic layers in thickness, would be capable of running a whole circuit.

The award to launch the project was announced by the ERC as part of its first competition for ‘Synergy Grants’, which were introduced last year on a pilot basis. It will bring together the talents of the Nobel Prize-winner, Professor Kostya Novoselov at Manchester, Professor Andrea Ferrari at Cambridge, and Professor Vladimir Falko at Lancaster.

The team will be part of the UK’s Graphene Global Research and Technology Hub, including the £61m National Graphene Institute, which is being developed at The University of Manchester to continue its world-leading and collaborative work in the field.

Widely regarded as a wonder material on account of its numerous capabilities, graphene is a two-dimensional structure consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb or chicken wire structure. It was first isolated by Professor Andre Geim and Professor Kostya Novoselov at The University of Manchester in 2004.

It is the thinnest material in the world and yet also one of the strongest. It conducts electricity as efficiently as copper and outperforms all other materials as a conductor of heat.

The Synergy Group will aim to combine these properties with those of other, two-dimensional materials for the sake of creating an amazing range of applications and devices, among them new types of transistors, solar cells and other optoelectronic components.

Professor Novoselov said: “The award of the Synergy Grant is an exciting development. We bet on the high-risk idea that by combining the properties of several, one-atom thick materials into a single, three-dimensional heterostructure, we would create a new class of materials with predetermined properties and multiple functionalities.”

“You might think that building materials layer by layer is science fiction. But if we succeed, this new combination of known materials, the two-dimensional atomic crystals, built layer by layer, will offer an amazing range of applications and devices.”

Professor Ferrari said: “The impact of the proposed research can be imagined considering that graphene is just one of a potentially endless range of embodiments of the general concept we aim to explore in this project. This new field of research will open new horizons and opportunities for science, technology and scholarship.”

“The combined expertise in physics, engineering and theoretical modelling coming from the synergy of our three groups and institutions will be key to achieving our objectives.”

Professor Falko said: “Our project is challenging, both at the technical and conceptual level. We aim to extend science and technology of atomically thin films into materials far beyond graphene, where properties of atomically thin crystals are not known, yet.”

“This project offers excellent opportunities for the early career researchers, who, thanks to the ERC, will be able to join our team – theorists, experimentalist and engineers - to enjoy surprises and make discoveries.”

In total, 11 projects from more than 700 original applications were selected to receive ERC funding.

The President of the ERC, Professor Helga Nowotny, said: “The ERC Synergy Grant provides a unique opportunity for outstanding scientists to explore jointly-formulated research questions, which take them beyond normal – even if otherwise excellent – science.”

“It aims to bring together the right kind of people at the right time, in the right configuration, to work on the right kind of problem. This grant scheme gives researchers a lot of freedom to work together in new ways.”

[nq]

Big planning meeting for the new year.

http://www.manchester.gov.uk/meeting...ways_committee

This is recommended approve.

http://www.manchester.gov.uk/egov_do...BuildingV2.pdf

[Pieter]

They chopped the trees down on site in the last week so I would assume a quick start on this.

[js1000]

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/...splay/?id=9349

First look at world-leading graphene Institute

This is the first glimpse of the new £61m research institute into wonder material graphene, which is to be built at The University of Manchester.



The stunning, glass-fronted National Graphene Institute (NGI) will be the UK’s home of research into the world’s thinnest, strongest and most conductive material, providing the opportunity for researchers and industry to work together on a huge variety of potential applications.

It is hoped the centre will initially create around 100 jobs, with the long-term expectation of many thousands more in the North West and more widely in the UK.

The 7,600 square metre building will house state-of-the-art facilities, including two ‘cleanrooms’ – one which will take up the whole of the lower ground floor – where scientists can carry out experiments and research without contamination.

The Institute will also feature a 1,500 square metre research lab for University of Manchester graphene scientists to collaborate with their colleagues from industry and other UK universities.

Funding for the NGI will come from £38m from the Government, as part of £50m allocated for graphene research, and the University has applied for £23m from the European Research and Development Fund (ERDF). The NGI will operate as a ‘hub and spoke’ model, working with other UK institutions involved in graphene research.

Some of the world’s leading companies are also expected to sign up to work at the NGI, where they will be offered the chance to work on cutting edge projects, across various sectors, with Nobel Laureates and other leading members of the graphene team.

Graphene, isolated for the first time at The University of Manchester by Professor Andre Geim and Professor Kostya Novoselov in 2004, has the potential to revolutionise a huge number of diverse applications; from smartphones and ultrafast broadband to drug delivery and computer chips.

Professor Novoselov said: “The National Graphene Institute is fundamentally important to continue the world-class graphene research started in Manchester.

“Our researchers and scientists will be able to collaborate with colleagues from other universities and from some of the world’s leading companies, which can only serve to enhance scientific research.

“We are delighted that the Government have chosen to invest in graphene, which as the potential to change technology in so many ways.”

Professor Colin Bailey, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, added: “The National Graphene Institute will be the world’s leading centre of graphene research, combining the expertise of University of Manchester academics with their counterparts at other UK universities and with leading global commercial organisations.

“The potential for its impact on the city and the North West is huge, and will be one of the most exciting centres of cutting edge research in the UK.”

Work is set to start on the five-story NGI, which will have its entrance on Booth Street East, in March next year, and is expected to be completed in early 2015.

Work to start in March 2014? Not sure why they can't hand out the tenders over the coming few months and get cracking in the summer. Seems overly protracted to me.

[iamafreeman]

Originally Posted by js1000

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/...splay/?id=9349



Work to start in March 2014? Not sure why they can't hand out the tenders over the coming few months and get cracking in the summer. Seems overly protracted to me.

I estimate that by mid-June the Chinese will announce they've built their own!!

[neil]

From the BBC


Patent surge reveals graphene race

By David Shukman
Science editor, BBC News
A surge in research into the novel material graphene reveals an intensifying global contest to lead a potential industrial revolution.

Latest figures show a sharp rise in patents filed to claim copyright over different aspects of graphene since 2007, with a further spike last year.

China leads the field as the country with the most patents while the Korean electronics giant Samsung stands out as the company with most to its name.

The figures, compiled by a UK-based copyright consultancy, CambridgeIP, highlight how Britain, which pioneered research into graphene, may be falling behind its rivals.


Graphene could find uses in computing, energy, medicine and other fields
Only identified in 2004, graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms making it the thinnest material ever created and offering huge promise for a host of applications from IT to energy to medicine.

Flexible touchscreens, lighting within walls and enhanced batteries are among the likely first applications.

Early work on graphene by two Russian scientists at the University of Manchester, Andrei Geim and Konstantin Novosolev, earned them a shared Nobel Prize in 2010 and then knighthoods.

The material - described as being far stronger than diamond, much more conductive than copper and as flexible as rubber - is now at the heart of a worldwide contest to exploit its properties and develop techniques to commercialise it.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced further funding for graphene research last month, bringing the total of UK government support to more than £60m.

But the tally of patents - an essential first step to turning a profit from a substance still based in the lab - shows how intense the worldwide competition has become.

According to new figures from CambridgeIP, there were 7,351 graphene patents and patent applications across the world by the end of last year - a remarkably high number for a material only recognized for less than a decade.

Of that total, Chinese institutions and corporations have the most with 2,200 - the largest number of any country and clear evidence of Chinese determination to capitalise on graphene's future value.

The US ranks second with 1,754 patents. The UK, which kickstarted the field with the original research back in 2004, has only 54 - of which 16 are held by Manchester University.

UK science minister David Willetts, who has identified graphene as a national research priority, said the figures show that "we need to raise our game".

"It's the classic problem of Britain inventing something and other countries developing it."

Most striking of all the figures is that the South Korean electronics giant Samsung leads the corporate field with an immense total 407 patents. America's IBM is second with 134.

The chairman of CambridgeIP, Quentin Tannock, told the BBC: "There's incredible interest around the world - and from 2007 onwards we see a massive spike in filings all over the world particularly in the USA Asia and Europe."

But he warned that despite the British government's support, there was a serious risk that the UK may lose out.

"Britain has got a reputation for being very canny, having very good inventors, so the race isn't over.

"But my concern is that in Britain there isn't an appreciation of just how competitive the race for value in graphene is internationally and just how focused and well resourced how competitors are.

"And that leads to a risk that we might underinvest in graphene as an area and that therefore we might look back in 20 years' time with hindsight and say 'that was wonderful, we got a lot of value, but we didn't get as much as we should have done'."

The head of graphene research at the National University of Singapore confirmed to me that the material is now the subject of an intense contest.

Professor Antonio Castro Neto said: "It's extremely competitive not only from the point of view of science… but also from a business point of view because many many companies are starting to operate and sell graphene and graphene-related things."

He believes that Britain still has "the potential to compete and be as big as what's happening here in Asia".

"But Asia, especially Singapore, started early. They had the vision to start early - but we still have to see what's going to happen. There are lots of things going on and it will take time to find out who is going to win the race," he explained.

Beyond the horizon

However one of the scientists behind the original work on graphene, Professor Geim, told me that many Western companies lack the ability to pursue research.

"Industry is more worried not about what can be done, but what competitors are doing - they're afraid of losing the race.


The National Graphene Institute is to be built in Manchester at a cost of £61m
"There is a huge gap between academia and industry and this gap has broadened during the last few decades after the end of Cold War, so I try as much as I can to reach to the industry.

"This is what has happened in last 30-40 years. We killed famous labs like Bell labs. Companies have slimmed down so they can no longer top afford research institutes. If something is happening in Korea it's because Samsung have an institute - there is nothing like that in this country.

"They can't see beyond a ten year horizon and graphene is beyond this horizon."

European efforts may get a boost later this month when the European Commission announces the winners of a prize of one billion euros over 10 years for scientific research.

One of the six shortlisted entrants is a consortium of researchers under the banner Graphene Flagship.

And Mr Willetts, pointing to BP's commitment to establish a $100m graphene research facility in Manchester, said Britain could become "a world centre for graphene research" and attract more investment - but he admitted it was a difficult challenge.

[iamafreeman]

Well when I commented on the Chinese yesterday I hadn't heard this news but it seems the Chinese don't need an institute they have already got 2000 patents filed not to mention the South Koreans!!

It's all depressingly predictable no wonder the UK is slowly declining - or should that be rapidly declining!

[js1000]

Deary me, that article makes for depressing reading.

Where were the politicians when graphene was first discovered in 2004? They took notice once they won the Nobel Prize and that was six years too late.

What a sad state of affairs our country is in. Useless.

[nq]

Press release has now been updated, 'next year' deleted, so penned at the end of last year & not amended on the original release.

Work is set to start on the five-story NGI, which will have its entrance on Booth Street East, in March, and is expected to be completed in early 2015.

http://www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk...months&id=9349

The tender had a contract period of 20 months on it, split into two parts, original target dates of,

Lot 1 on its own should commence first quarter 2013 and complete third quarter 2013, with Lot 2 following this and completing third quarter 2014.

£1.5m lot 1 being enablement,

Lot 1 enablement work will involve the following:
a. Perimeter fencing - hoarding lines
b. Ground drainage preparation
c. Traffic flow diversions and signage
d. Excavation
e. Concrete works
f. General site preparation and investigation

Re Korean graphene projects some interesting figures in this presentation from last year,
http://www.grapheneconf.com/Files/Pr...12_Hong_GF.pdf
http://www.graphene.re.kr

[js1000]

I thought March 2014 seems a overly long wait to start. Good to hear they meant this March.

[VDB]

Why's it going to take 2 years to build a 5 storey building?!

Oh yeah, cause it's important to the economy so therefore we MUST dilly around as much as possible

[AJD1984]

Originally Posted by VDB

Why's it going to take 2 years to build a 5 storey building?!

Oh yeah, cause it's important to the economy so therefore we MUST dilly around as much as possible

Don't be so negative. Just be thankful that its happening. I can imagine the fit-out will take time aswell (not as simple as installing kitchens and leaving open spaces for potential residents/office companies in other buildings). Remember this is a research facility with labs etc.

Plus, it's hardly a box - theres some tricky engineering there too

Andrew

[Chogmook]

Quality takes time, a flat pack effort this isn't. It has to be bespoke.

[neil]

UK far behind on graphene patents 16th January 2013

By James Graham - Deputy Editor

THE UK is lagging far behind China and the US in terms of the number patents that have been filed to commercialise graphene.
The super-light, super-strong material was discovered by Manchester’s Nobel prize winning scientists Professors Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov, but the UK has filed just 54 patents, with 16 from the university.

According to figures compiled by patent consultancy, CambridgeIP, this number is dwarfed by China, which has filed 2,200, and the US with 1,754. Electronic group Samsung leads the corporate field with 407 patents. In total there 7,351 graphene patents and patent applications across the world by the end of last year. Graphene has the potential to revolutionise a diverse range of applications from smartphones and ultrafast broadband to anti-cancer drugs and computer chips. Early applications are likely to be touchscreen devices and rollable 'e-paper'.

Manchester should be at the heart of these developments with the £61m National Graphene Institute - under construction this year - providing an environment for ideas, from discovery to prototype. But speaking at an event in October the university's vice chancellor, Dame Nancy Rothwell, said one of the challenges faced by the university on graphene was attracting interest from UK companies. "Many British companies say, 'Graphene is too early, too scary, we don't know what to do with it'," she said. Clive Rowland, chief executive of UMI3, the University of Manchester’s innovation group company, said: “The majority of patents cited are in applications of the technology, whereas the University of Manchester is focusing on the fundamentals on the basis that you will need to make and functionalise graphene first before you can use it in most consumer or industrial applications – by which time some early patents may have expired.

“So we are patenting in areas that we believe will be ‘most useful’, such as scalable manufacturing techniques, coatings, and composites, and only patenting a few in specific applications where we feel that the Manchester work is so significant and where we have strong experimental data to warrant a filing. Examples of these include graphene polymer composite and fluorographene. “There will also be a difference in the numbers of patents filed and those granted, since patent applications don’t necessarily end up as registered patents as many are speculative filings which don’t stand up to challenge or don’t have good enough data to achieve sufficiency standards.”

[nq]

From Flickr,

image hosted on flickr

Credit: dullhunk