A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed for the establishment of a graphene research and innovation center in India.
Digital University Kerala, the country's first on-campus digital university, Centre for Materials for Electronics Technologies (C-MET) and Tata Steel are the implementation partners of the center.
India's Finance Minister, K N Balagopal, said the setting up of a graphene innovation center would be a boost to the industry in the southern state as new start-ups and SMEs could leverage the advantages of the extraordinary structural, thermal and electrical properties of graphene to innovate new products and services. Existing industrial organizations could also enhance the quality of their products and services exploring the possibilities of graphene, he said, adding that the state government has already pledged its commitment to initiate projects that could develop Kerala into a knowledge economy.
The Finance Minister also said that it was heartening to note that the implementation partners crafted a unique model where a university, a research organization and a leading industry house came together to develop a high technology industrial eco-system.
Industries Minister Rajeeve said that the graphene innovation center offered tremendous opportunities to the industrial sector in the state and it would help strengthen the start-up eco-system and industry of the state.