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In 2013, the European Commission (EC) started its largest research and innovation project to date: the Graphene Flagship, with a budget of €1 billion. This project ran for ten years and provided funding to a consortium of approximately 170 academic and industrial partners spanning 22 countries and collaborating on the development of marketable products containing graphene and related 2D materials. The project and investment have been largely successful, with collaboration and longevity pinpointed as being the biggest benefits of the project, which generated €5.9 billion in economic impact and helped to create 81,622 jobs. Considering the success of the Graphene Flagship and the European Union’s aim to strengthen science and technology within its borders, the initiative will continue under the Horizon Europe programme. 

The last year was nothing like any of the preceeding years for the Graphene Flagship. We celebrated the first ten years of the project as we closed Core 3, and with it the single-project structure of the Flagship. The five-day final review and the broader assesment of the past decade meant a lot of hard work by many. In the end, I think we can proudly say that we have delivered beyond expectations and given European tax-payers extremely good value for their money. It was not a true ending, but nevertheless a feeling of departure for many in the community – the end of the Graphene Flagship as we knew it. 

First major milestone achieved in the EU GATEPOST project: All eight European project partners from industry and science meet to discuss the progress of the project and reflect on the development work of the last six months.

The Graphene Flagship is hosting a symposium from June 11 to 12 at the Town Hall Europe, Brussels, to celebrate the successes of its €20 million 2D Experimental Pilot Line (2D-EPL) project. Representing the first graphene foundry to integrate graphene and other 2D materials into semiconductor devices, the symposium will demonstrate the 2D-EPL’s progress in creating an ecosystem for 2D materials within electronics, photonics and biomedical devices.

On Friday, 26 April 2024, the Graphene Flagship launched an exhibition celebrating the initiative's decade of success and plans for the future in the European Commission's Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT) offices in Brussels. Roberto Viola, Director-General for DG CNECT delivered the keynote talk, praising the success of the project and its contribution to the European 2D materials ecosystem.

Graphene and related 2D materials can advance the all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Multi project wafer (MPW) runs are a common practice within the semiconductor ecosystem. Universities, R&D centres and start ups, which usually only need a few prototypes and operate with tight budgets, take advantage of this service to obtain devices at an affordable entry point. This is carried out with a mask sharing scheme, where devices with different geometries but shared device architecture are manufactured within the same mask; in this way, everyone gets a few devices but no one needs to purchase more devices than necessary. Now, Graphenea partners with the 2D Experimental Pilot Line (2D-EPL) to offer an MPW run with a novel process flow.

2D-PRINTABLE's latest achievements in creating new 2D materials for printed electronics.

On 20 March 2024, the European Commission (EC) adopted the second strategic plan for Horizon Europe, confirming the acceptance of the Graphene Flagship and Advanced Materials 2030 Initiative’s proposed Innovative Materials for EU partnership.

Partners from the MUNASET project met to report their progress and set the objectives for upcoming work.

The Graphene Flagship and the Advanced Materials 2030 Initiative organised an online workshop to present the progress of their preparatory work and how the proposed partnership is intended to contribute to the “Advanced Materials for Industrial Leadership” initiative.

Innovative and sustainable technology with 2D materials is a priority of researchers and entrepreneurs worldwide. Now, a brand-new Horizon Europe graphene-spintronic project kicks off with huge potential to provide reliable memory storage solutions. It is a game-changer for the next-generation technology in an exciting field.

While the 2D materials community celebrates 20 years since the isolation of graphene, IOP Publishing’s 2D Materials journal celebrates its 10-year anniversary. The journal will mark this occasion with a special contribution to the Graphene Week 2024 conference to be held in Prague, Czech Republic.