Save the date! What we are looking forward to in 2023

Looking ahead into the new year can feel daunting to some – but here at the Graphene Flagship, when we look at our calendar for this year, we feel excited!

2023 marks our 10-year anniversary, and this year, there are plenty of events happening and initiatives about which we feel passionate. Here are some of the major milestones, moments, and upcoming activities – many of which you can also get involved in.

Mentoring programme

The Graphene Flagship mentoring programme is back for its third iteration! Applications for mentors and mentees have closed, however, we are currently in the process of matching people up with one another based on skills and research goals and are looking forward to sharing these new mentorship connections with participants soon. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience represented within the Flagship community, so we are very happy to be running this programme again this year.

Read about previous participants’ experiences of the programme here.

Annual Report

‘Annual report’: these two words don’t always spark excitement in the wider world. Within the Graphene Flagship community, however, our Annual Report is a publication that many of us look forward to. With a style deliberately reminiscent more of a magazine than a corporate document, and with content designed to be readable, the Flagship’s Annual Report is known for being engaging, informative, and even inspiring.

Be sure to read this year’s issue not least because it will be our 10-year anniversary issue and will consequently have plenty of new and exciting material, both reflecting on the Flagship’s very full decade of research and innovation and looking to the future as graphene research increases its impact throughout Europe.

The digital archives containing pdf copies of the Annual Reports from throughout the Flagship’s decade of research can be found here.

Graphene Study

Graphene Study is an annual Graphene Flagship event aimed at PhD students and early-career researchers, to support them as they develop into outstanding researchers in graphene. A multi-day in-person event, Graphene Study brings together new generations of researchers with experts in order to share new insights, network, and discuss ideas. Additional activities include the opportunity for participants to present their research in the poster session and enjoy numerous social activities, panel discussions, and skills training sessions.

Graphene Study 2023 will take place on 2-6 April in Obergurgl, Austria. Learn more about this year’s Graphene Study event here.

Wider graphene community events

The Graphene Flagship and many of our partners are looking forward to participating in a wide range of science and engineering events taking place this year. These include workshops, fairs, and conferences. Have you considered attending JEC World 2023 in Paris on 25-27 April, for example, or EuroNanoForum 2023 on 11-13 June in Malmö? If you do happen to go, we will see you there!

Diversity initiatives

Diversity has always been at the heart of the Graphene Flagship. We value the fact that our community is made up of so many different researchers, partners, and staff, spread throughout institutions and across the globe.   

Indeed, the variety of backgrounds and experiences represented within our community is part of what makes it so dynamic. Flagship members have roots in a myriad of countries, speak many different languages, and among us represent a broad spectrum of genders, ethnicities, sexualities, socio-economic backgrounds, physical attributes and abilities, and neurological diversity.  

This year, we plan to continue working to support, foster, and celebrate diversity. Our landmark ‘Diversity in Graphene’ initiative will continue to run events related to diversity throughout the year, such as at Graphene Study and via our digital and social media outreach. Current events planned include accessible networking activities and knowledge-sharing events, including ones with guest speakers and training opportunities.

Learn more about our Diversity in Graphene initiative here.  

Social media stepping up

As the Graphene Flagship celebrates its ten-year anniversary, we will be scaling up our social media and outreach work, both to celebrate how far the Flagship has come and to share with our members various plans for where European graphene research will go next.

If you’re not already following the Flagship on social media, be sure to fix this as soon as possible! As well as highlighting the Flagship’s past, present, and future in a general sense, we will also be sharing more specific information and updates about research opportunities and funding. Make sure you are following us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook to avoid missing important news and announcements.

Graphene Week

No list of upcoming graphene-related events would be complete without Graphene Week.

Graphene Week is Europe’s leading graphene conference, bringing together the latest innovations and leading-edge technology and research on graphene from more than 200 experts related to industry and academia.

Graphene Week 2023 will be held on 4-8 September in Gothenburg, Sweden, and it promises to be a bigger and even more exciting event than any Graphene Week of previous years. Indeed, with this year being the Graphene Flagship’s 10-year anniversary, Graphene Week will include an added layer of celebration as we look back on all the Flagship has achieved since its creation in 2013. It is an event not to be missed!

Learn more about Graphene Week 2023 here.

Celebrating 10 years

As we have already alluded to, this year is a particularly special one for the Graphene Flagship. It’s not every year that one of Europe’s biggest ever research initiatives turns 10 years old!

There are so many achievements from within our community to highlight and to share with the world, whether anew or for the first time. We are so proud of all that has been achieved over this decade of research, and we are committed to making this our best year yet, both in terms of innovation and celebrating it.

We look forward to connecting with you further throughout 2023!