Graphene Flagship warmly welcomes sixteen new FLAG-ERA projects

​The FLAG-ERA Joint Transnational Call Steering Committee has chosen 16 new projectsto join the ever-expanding Graphene Flagship community. These projects cover a broad range of topics, from fundamental to applied research, and will become Partnering Projects of the Graphene Flagship – receiving around €11M in funding overall.

Bringing together a diverse range of European knowledge and expertise, FLAG-ERA is an ERA-NET (European Research Area Network) initiative that aims to create synergies between new research projects and the Graphene Flagship and Human Brain Project. The FLAG-ERA consortium currently comprises 39 funding agencies from 26 countries in Europe and beyond, and aims to nourish and nurture regional, national and transnational research initiatives within the EU. 

"We are glad that the third FLAG-ERA Joint Transnational Call, in support of the Graphene Flagship, is bringing new Partnering Projects to the consortium. We hope this will stimulate new collaborations, and we are looking forward to supporting the Partnering Division in their work," says Ana Helman, European Alignment Officer at the European Science Foundation.  

Nine of the projects focus on basic research, and seven on applications. For instance, the projects To2Dox, 2D-NEMS and 2DHetero seek to explore the underlying physics of different materials built with transition metal oxides, graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). In particular, 2DHetero aims to develop various ways to fabricate graphene/hBN heterostructures on substrates that are compatible with silicon microelectronics. 

Two other projects will investigate the promising properties of graphene for spintronics. Exploiting electron spin and momentum, the SOgraphMEM project will test specific materials for a novel branch of spintronics called spin-orbitronics. The DIMAG project will fabricate new layered magnetic materials with optimal characteristics for spintronics applications. 

Looking further into the unique properties of layered materials, the TATTOOS project will investigate the origin of both the superconducting state and the existence of topologically protected channels in twisted bilayer graphene and to build junctions with different correlated electronic systems. The OPERA project will synthesize and study graphene quantum dots, with the final goal of integrating them in quantum devices. The PROSPECT project will study electrically conductive layered materials that could mimic the tactile sensing properties of the skin. The DeMeGRaS project will expand the use of graphene radiation sensors with frequency ranges from sub-terahertz to infrared.

Other projects span a broad range of applications from water filtration (GO-FOR-WATER) to light-based remote sensing (GRAPHAR), and from solar cells (LASERGRAPH) to biosensors (LEGOCHIP). The MARGO project will exploit the natural reparative capacity of stem cells by growing them on graphene oxide scaffolds for patient-tailored bone development, antibacterial action and vascularization.  

The PeroGaS project will produce gas sensors with high specificity. The ETMOS project will grow large-area semiconductors with desirable electronic properties, based on transition metal dichalcogenides, using advanced physical deposition techniques. 

"The sixteen projects, which have been added to the Partnering Division in the framework of the Third FLAG-ERA Call, show the ever-widening interest of the European research community in graphene and layered materials. I hope that these projects will contribute to the European Commission's strategy on sustainability in the broad range of aspects, spanning from environmental protection to advanced materials," says Yuri Svirko, Head of the Graphene Flagship Partnering Division. 

FLAG-ERA is working with the Graphene Flagship to prepare the next call, which is expected to be launched later this year.