Further light has been shed on the Government's plans to fund efforts to commercialise graphene, in the wake of the 2014 Budget.
Graphene has been touted by the electronics industry for nearly a decade as a possible replacement for silicon in computer chips.
The material is made from a one-atom thick layer of graphite and is renowned for being exceptionally strong, lightweight and flexible, and for its ability to conduct electrons faster than silicon.
However, attempts to date to commercialise the material have proven challenging.
As reported by IT Pro yesterday, the Chancellor George Osborne announced plans during his Budget speech to build a graphene research centre in the UK to address this issue.
This, he explained, will form an important part of the Government's bid to stop the UK falling behind other countries in the science, technology, engineering and manufacturing stakes.
"If Britain isn't leading the world in science and technology and engineering, then we are condemning our country to fall behind," said Osborne.
"[Graphene] is a great British discovery that we should break the habit of a lifetime with and commercially develop in Britain."
Since then, further details have started to emerge, including the fact that it will be housed at The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) and will cost 14 million to build.
The CPI is an organisation that seeks to support technology companies through the research and development stages of bringing new products to market.
The Graphene Applications Innovation Centre, as it has been dubbed, will open later this year and will provide facilities and expertise for companies that want to develop graphene-based products.
Nigel Perry, CEO of CPI, said the centre will work alongside academic institutions, manufacturers and end users to develop new uses for graphene in a variety of markets.
"The new centre will integrate with existing development facilities at CPI's printable electronics and formulation centres based at Sedefiled, Co. Durham," Perry added.
-
Cyber experts issue alert after two ransomware groups team up on ‘unprecedented’ threat campaignNews The tie-up includes a new model of industrialized ransomware deployment that significantly lowers the barrier to entry for cyber crime
-
Agentic AI 'breaks the traditional SaaS seat licensing model'News Incumbent software vendors will need to work harder than ever to compete with agile, AI-focused disruptors
-
UK Government says it’s ‘cut cyber attack fix times by 84%’ with new vulnerability monitoring serviceNews A new scanning service spots weaknesses in government DNS records for 6,000 UK public sector bodies
-
IDC: The business value of IBM MaximoWhitepaper Integral to the transformation of asset management
-
UK’s ‘Tech Prosperity Deal' with US hits rocky groundNews The US has reportedly threatened to pull out of the deal over the Digital Services Tax and broader economic disagreements
-
‘A major step forward’: Keir Starmer’s £187 million tech skills drive welcomed by UK industryNews The ‘TechFirst’ program aims to shore up the UK’s digital skills to meet future AI needs
-
Government’s ‘Humphrey’ AI tool helps local authorities cut costsNews The Minute tool, part of the Humphrey AI assistant, is being trialled at 25 councils
-
Starmer bets big on AI to unlock public sector savingsNews AI adoption could be a major boon for the UK and save taxpayers billions, according to prime minister Keir Starmer.
-
UK government targets ‘startup’ mindset in AI funding overhaulNews Public sector AI funding will be overhauled in the UK in a bid to simplify processes and push more projects into development.
-
UK government signs up Anthropic to improve public servicesNews The UK government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Anthropic to explore how the company's Claude AI assistant could be used to improve access to public services.
