Story highlights
- The University of Manchester receive £3 million funding for graphene R&D
- Funding provided by Lloyd’s Register Foundation
- Grant towards development of prototype graphene materials
(2D Materials Magazine)- The University of Manchester has received a £3m grant from Lloyd’s Register Foundation for applications development of graphene.
Funding is spread over 5 years and is be used for production and applications development.
The grant ‘Designer Nanomaterials assembled from Individual Atomic Planes’, will focus on the development of prototype nanomaterials possessing custom functional properties. Universities also involved in the grant include Harvard University, National University of Singapore, ETH Zurich and the Japanese National Institute for Materials Science. The team will be led by the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010, Sir Andre Geim. Professor Geim said: “Our consortium combines the strength of several leading groups from around the world who made their names in research on graphene, other atomically-thin materials and their heterostructures.”
“This area has now matured and is ready for applications. We plan to exploit the breakthrough discoveries made by our groups over the last five-10 years and endeavour into unknown territories, aiming at opening new research fronts and developing fundamentally new technologies. At every step, we will try to align our research efforts with LRF charitable goals.”
In August 2014, after the publication of the Foresight Review in Nanotechnology: the next industrial revolution, Lloyd’s Register Foundation opened a global call for proposals. So far, the Foundation has provided £9m in grants to three global consortia. These grants provide research support and doctoral training, which will help realize the goals of the Foundation. Other grants that have been awarded include:
Nanotechnology in Sub Sea Power Infrastructure: This work will explore the potential of copper/carbon nanotube metal matrix composites in the fabrication of electrically conductive materials with enhanced properties for use in subsea power transmission applications. Professor Sir Mark Welland from the University of Cambridge is leading this consortium that includes the National University of Singapore, Texas A&M University, The Institute of Occupational Medicine and Kaneka Holdings.
International Doctoral Consortium in Nanotechnology: This consortium will build an international cohort of doctoral students to build capability and knowledge in the application of nanotechnologies to support safety of life and property, addressing the areas highlighted in the Foresight Review of Nanotechnology. It will bring together international experts and industrial stakeholders and build on shared capability held in physical infrastructures such as labs, test facilities and specialist equipment. Dr Themis Prodromakis from the University of Southampton will lead the consortium which will be built through a series of open calls over five years.
The Foundation’s publication, Foresight review in nanotechnology: the next industrial revolution, can be downloaded from the website at http://www.lrfoundation.org.uk/news/2014/nanotechnology-review.aspx
The Lloyd’s Register Foundation is a UK charity, established in 2012, which funds the advancement of engineering-related education and research and supports work that enhances safety of life at sea, on land and in the air. It is funded by the profits of its trading arm, Lloyd’s Register Group Limited, a global engineering, technical and business services organisation.
