Graphene Flagship runs EMDESK

Graphene is a versatile material that is flexible, strong, transparent, and thin. Its chemical properties allow it to function as an energy conductor (electrical and thermal). Since successfully discovering the vast potentials of graphene, the laboratory findings are being converted into products that will positively impact society. To date, 46 products have been launched from graphene research. The expected value of the graphene market is €100 million by 2020 and up to €550 million by 2025.

As a result of its inherent properties, graphene has potential applications for the automotive and aeronautics industries, batteries, ICT, etc. It also has a great deal of potential in material science since it can be combined with other materials. Being the fourth most abundant element, graphene could take the place of many rare earth elements and result in more ecological natural resources use.

Despite strong research promising findings, any great discovery might find itself stagnating without the right funding to scale up. No one knows this better than Graphene Flagship Executive Board Chair, Ken Teo: “The Graphene Flagship, now halfway through its 10 year programme, is uniquely positioned to take emerging graphene-based technologies from the lab to fab. We have assessed many of the scientific breakthroughs and can see their potential commercial application in a variety of applications; and as such, we will strive to realize future Graphene-based products by increasing the number of spearhead projects, industrial partners, and business development activities.”

The main goal of the FET flagship when it was launched in 2013 was shifting graphene from research to practical applications. One of the biggest issues in reaching this goal was the management and coordination of a consortium of 145 academic and industrial research groups and information management with an ever growing list of team members and collaborators. Conducting research and converting its results into projects, requires all teamers fully understanding what is happening at every stage and the overall goals of the project .

Over time the Graphene team found themselves facing a number of challenges with efficient reporting and updating of progress and consumed resources. Communication between 750 users from the 145+ partner organizations in 21 countries, was proving to be inefficient and they had difficulty finding a secure and confidential working environment. There was also the unique dilemma of having numerous unconnected systems with their own user administration. In order to resolve these issues, the coordinating team sought out management software that would optimize processes and communication among partners. A simple solution to this problem was the migration and switch of hosting to EMDESK.

EMDESK assessed the Graphene Flagship framework and carried out the installation and deployment of an on-site solution. This included integrating MS Azzure for central account management, which allowed a more fluid flow of information. As there were numerous projects integrated in the programme, EMDESK customized this to meet project needs and management requirements.

The initial result of this migration was the availability of a central, integrated project and work management platform; which resulted in much easier information coordination amongst different partners and project teams. This change overcame delays with information dissemination for the first time since Graphene Flagship began. Streamlined communication and information dissemination resulted in greater efficiency for all project partners, saving time and allowing users to concentrate on their work.

A complex system like Graphene Flagship required that all systems and associated systems run optimally in order to achieve its objectives. EMDESK met this challenge by optimizing Graphene’s IT infrastructure to safeguard the achievement of project objectives. Graphene was able to benefit from EMDESK’s single depository, which ensures that all project data is securely stored and accessible in one place. The quick and easy reporting systems of EMDESK also ensured that Graphene could collate data and generate reports with a single click.

As of 2018, the Graphene Flagship has 145 partners, 31 partnering projects, and 87 associated members. Today, Graphene Flagship is positioned to accommodate more partners. “The particular strength of Graphene Flagship is in the synergetic development of fundamental and applied research. New and fresh scientific results are getting translated swiftly into applications,” said Konstantin Novoselov, Graphene Strategic Advisory Council Chair.