Graphene and 2D materials are the main driving force of the most vibrant research and industrial areas at a worldwide scale. No thinner and more lightweight material is flexible, highly resistant and possesses record electronic and optical properties. We are only just beginning to see its possibilities in fields such as electronics, medicine, and energy.
The BIST centres have a strong concentration of top-class researchers and principal investigators in this field, working in areas as diverse as photonics, spintronics and biomedical devices. This diversity is remarkable and extremely valuable in approaching the applications of graphene and 2D materials in an interdisciplinary manner. In addition to the application areas, the fundamental science of 2D materials is still expanding, with a strong concentration of activities taking place at the BIST centres.
The GraphCAT Community
In 2021, the GraphCAT Community, coordinated by the BIST Community centres ICN2 and ICFO, was created with the goal of establishing Catalonia as an international reference in graphene research, development and innovation, with multiple local industries deriving strong competitive advantage in the global marketplace through the integration of proprietary graphene technologies into their products and services.
The GraphCAT Hub brought together diverse members of the graphene ecosystem in Catalonia: ICN2, ICFO, IFAE, BIST, IREC, IDIBAPS, IMIM, IMB-CNM, Eurecat and UAB and the associate members and collaborators ICIQ, IBEC, the Fundació Barraquer, the companies Earthdas and Graphenica, the deep tech cluster Secpho and other collaborating companies including Keysight Technologies, INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, QURV Technologies, and Sorigué.
GraphCAT was co-funded by the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) allocated to the Programa operatiu FEDER de Catalunya 2014-2020, with the support of the Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca of the Departament d’Empresa i Coneixement of the Generalitat de Catalunya for emerging technology clusters devoted to the valorization and transfer of research results (GraphCAT 001-P-001702).
