Abstract

In 2013 the European Union (EU) embarked on one of its three largest-ever targeted technology R&D programs, a 10-year, €1 billion ($1.18 billion) program called the Graphene Flagship, with the aim of creating applications and markets for the two-dimensional material and establishing Europe at the forefront of the technology. Ultimately, its impact and whether it has been worth the public spending and effort won’t be known for years to come. “Over the past seven years, the Graphene Flagship has successfully brought graphene out of the lab, creating a fruitful European industrial ecosystem that develops applications of graphene and layered materials,” says the flagship’s 2020 annual report. “Today, our industrial family includes over 100 companies working together with the Graphene Flagship’s academic partners in fields ranging from the automotive and aviation industries to electronics, energy, composites and biomedicine.”