Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the level is of Government investment in graphene development and research; in which vehicles such investments were made; and what progress has been made in such development and research. [126440]

Mr Willetts, Minister of State (Minister for Universities and Science), Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: The Government is investing significant funding to support research into the properties of graphene, potential applications for this material and activities relating its commercialisation. These investments are:

£38 million to create a National Institute of Graphene Research at the University of Manchester;

£12 million capital for graphene research equipment in other leading research groups across the UK to complement existing activity in graphene science and engineering;

£10 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to support graphene engineering research—focused on manufacturing processes and technologies linked to graphene; and

£10 million jointly from EPSRC/Technology Strategy Board to establish an Innovation Knowledge Centre in graphene and related carbon-based nanotechnology to accelerate the commercial application of merging graphene technologies.

In addition, EPSRC has previously awarded £17 million of research grants to universities working on graphene related research. UK universities have also attracted an additional €8 million of funding from the European Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation, and a further £3 million from other sources, including the Learned Societies.

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