Graphene is the ‘new cotton’
GRAPHENE could be as fundamental to Manchester’s future as cotton was to the city’s industrial progress.
That’s according to Eddie Smith, head of strategic development at the city council.
He told a business breakfast in Castlefield that the potential of the world’s thinnest, strongest and most conductive material, discovered in Manchester, could not be exaggerated.
He said: “Graphene is the new cotton. Its impact will be huge and the challenge now is to capitalise on that discovery and exploit the potential. It is a challenge not just for Manchester but for the UK, and the Government has recognised this.”
The £61m National Graphene Institute is set to open at Manchester University next spring followed by the recently announced Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre in 2017.
Graphene, the thinnest material on earth at just one atom thick, and 200 times stronger than steel, was first isolated in 2004 by Sir Andrew and Sir Kostya Novoselov, who were awarded a Nobel Prize in 2010 for their work.
Speaking at an event organised by law firm Slater Heelis, Mr Smith went on to stress the importance of the University’s role in the city’s future and its ambition to become one of the top 25 universities in the world.
He said: “Being in the top 25 is really important, because when you are in that sphere you attract a certain type of investor who wants to be associated with the very best.”
And he said the North Campus, or the former UMIST site, could become, “a truly globally recognised science-led business park that could capitalise on the spin off investment from the university being in that elite band.”
