Spearhead Projects

The Graphene Flagship Spearhead Projects develop graphene-enabled prototypes into commercial applications.

What are Spearhead Projects?

The Graphene Flagship Spearhead Projects were industry-led initiatives aimed to increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of graphene-based technologies. Our commitment to Spearhead Projects is unshakeable: one third of our funding in between October 2020 and October 2023 was invested into these ventures, a bold move to maximise the impact of the Graphene Flagship in the innovation ecosystem and the European economy.

Spearheading sustainability

The Graphene Flagship Spearhead Projects align with the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Our objectives include using graphene-enabled products to ensure good health and wellbeing, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, and sustainable cities and communities, as well as improvements to industry innovation and infrastructure in Europe.

Spearhead Projects 2020-2023

GRAPHIL

Graphene Flagship Spearhead Project GRAPHIL targets an urgent market and societal need; the removal of toxins and contaminants that are increasingly present in European water sources.

G+BOARD

Graphene Flagship Spearhead Project G+BOARD aims to create the dashboard of the future. Unlike existing vehicle dashboards, many of which use metal, the inclusion of graphene-based materials in the vehicle dashboard can significantly reduce the weight of the vehicle.

Circuitbreakers

Graphene Flagship Spearhead Project Circuitbreakers will develop a grease-free circuit breaker to save businesses maintenance costs.

METROGRAPH

Graphene Flagship Spearhead Project METROGRAPH is developing a wide spectrum optical receiver that uses one single technology, graphene photonics, across both the transmitter and receiver, to reduce the costs of photonics integration.

GRAPES

Graphene Flagship Spearhead Project GRAPES is set to make cost-effective, stable graphene-enabled perovskite panels. This new technology could bring increased efficiency at a lower cost to solar panel manufacturing.

AEROGrAFT

Graphene Flagship Spearhead Project AEROGrAFT will produce heatable aero-graphene foams, to reduce the cleaning time of filters in the aerospace industry, saving businesses sums of maintenance costs and downtime.

GBIRCAM

Graphene Flagship Spearhead Project GBIRCAM is developing a camera that detects visible light, near-infrared, short-wavelength infrared and long-wavelength infrared in one single superpixel device, which will reduce the costs of broad spectrum imaging.

Autovision

Graphene Flagship Spearhead Project AUTOVISION is developing a new high-resolution image sensor for autonomous vehicles, which can detect obstacles and road curvature even in extreme and difficult driving conditions.

GrEEnBat

Graphene Flagship Spearhead Project GrEEnBat will improve battery technology for electric vehicles, helping the EU achieve its ambitious sustainability goals.

GICE

Graphene Flagship Spearhead Project GICE will design and advance the TRL of graphene-based thermoelectric ice protection systems for the aviation industry to produce safer aircrafts.

SafeGraph

Graphene Flagship Spearhead Project SafeGraph is set to formulate a clear authorisation pathway to market, meaning a more predictable and accessible route for the other graphene-related projects.

Spearhead Projects 2018-2020

5G

The Graphene Flagship launched this Spearhead Project to develop graphene-based photonics for use in 5G networks and it has already produced tangible results for industry.

RFID

This Graphene Flagship Spearhead Project uses graphene's unique properties to make printable RFID sensors a reality.

SolarFarm

Graphene Flagship Spearhead Project SolarFarm created the world's first graphene-enabled solar farm in Crete, Greece.

ChemSENS

Graphene Flagship Spearhead Project ChemSENS is a venture to develop a graphene based plaster sensor for human skin.

Batteries

This Graphene Flagship Spearhead Project advanced the pre-industrial production and integration of silicon graphene composites into lithium-ion batteries for high-energy and high-power applications.

WearGRAPH

Graphene Flagship's Spearhead Project WearGRAPH develops self-powered graphene-based textiles for wearable electronics.

Spearheads take aim for innovation

Of all of the Graphene Flagship’s initiatives, it’s possible that the Spearhead Projects are the most effective tool for advancing our goal to bring graphene out of the lab and onto the market. The Spearhead Projects are company-led initiatives with well-defined, application-oriented objectives, aiming to produce industrial prototypes using graphene and layered materials within two years.